Moving On
by gladrags2012
Summary: The MI High team have finished school and will be moving on, but where. Where do teen spies go after school ? Will the team stay together or go their separate ways.
1. Chapter 1

**MI High is coming to an end. What is going to be the future for the team ? Is there a future for the team ? Will everyone go their separate ways or will they stay together ?**

 **I do not own MI High or its characters, just the story. Hope you like.**

Dan sat outside on a wall, swinging his legs back and forth. He was eighteen. They had all sat their A level exams over the last month and this would be his last term at St. Heart's. Most kids his age were looking forward to a long summer break and the wide open future of University, College, a gap year or work. Dan was staring at the ground wondering what he was going to do.

Tom was inside talking to the head of science about his University choice. Tom had taken Maths, Further Maths, Even Further Maths, yeah, only kidding. It just seemed like he'd sucked up all the maths that existed, like a black hole for maths, and was creating his new theory of everything, kind of like a nerdy Professor Stephen Hawking. Aneisha was out shopping with her Mum for new outfits in expected celebration of her results. Aneisha had been offered a place at University Medical School. She was going to be a doctor. Keri had taken Art and Textiles and had been offered a place on an arts course. She was bursting with excitement.

And what about Dan ? Yeah, what had he done ? Dan had done Music (no brainer) and Resistive Materials (or woodwork as his Dad would say). He could play a guitar and he could make stuff out of wood. He was going to go far. Yay ! Tom had reminded him he'd got a C for Chemistry. Dan had only got that because of Frank helping him with his explosives project. The memory made Dan grin. That had been a really, really big bang ! His smile quickly faded. Gloomily, Dan scuffed his shoe across the concrete of the school yard. He was going nowhere. The only job he had ever wanted to do, was be a spy. He'd done that through school. Now he was going to leave school and Frank had made it clear that MI9 were not looking to recruit him for the adult training programme. He couldn't pass himself off as 16 again somewhere else. He towered over half of the teachers and all the physical exercise had made him bulk up to the point where he couldn't always hide it inside baggy jumpers and T-shirts.

"Hey Mr. Happy !" said a cheerful voice by his side. He looked up to find Keri looking at him in an amused way. "Well you're a regular ray of sunshine today !" she said. "What's the matter ?" she asked.

Dan shrugged. "Doesn't matter," he answered. Then he noticed his pencil flashing. "Okay, this is probably Frank telling us we're off MI High," he said flatly. "Come on. Let's get it over with."

Dan dragged himself out of the lift behind Aneisha, Tom and Keri. Normally he was the one at the front, eager for their next assignment. He loved the adrenaline rush, the anticipation of putting some bad guys behind bars, the chance to help innocent people and just the sheer rush of running around and kicking ass. If he was honest, he loved the running around the most. The others had teased him mercilessly throughout their MI High careers and he would be the last to admit that they were right on the money. Now it was all going to end. What was he going to do ? He felt numb with emptiness.

"Right team ! Stella is coming to discuss your reassignments," said Frank, shuffling a few pieces of paper on his desk. He glanced at his watch. "Not like her to be late," he said, frowning. They all looked at one another and shuffled their feet awkwardly.

The tension was starting to get to Dan. He was beginning to feel a little sick. Way to go Dan ! Barf up in front of the boss, why don't you ? He took deep breaths and tried to concentrate on a point on the ceiling. When he glanced back down he realised that all of his team mates were looking at him curiously.

"You Okay Dan ?" asked Aneisha curiously. "It's just that you look a bit, peaky, you know ?" she asked.

"Fine. Just fine," muttered Dan faintly. It was no good, he felt his body heating up, which was always the forerunner to being sick for him. There were sudden movements around him and he was surprised to find himself being pressed into a chair.

"Take deep breaths Dan," instructed Aneisha. "It'll pass over in a minute," she said.

With beads of sweat on his forehead, Dan looked at her wryly. "You should be a doctor you know," he said ironically.

Aneisha smiled at him gently. "It has been said," she said, nodding sagely.

"What's wrong ?" asked Tom.

Dan looked up at his friend, the fear and emptiness suddenly showing in his face. "What am I going to do ?" he whispered. Instantly Keri and Aneisha each took one of his hands and Tom grasped his shoulder.

"Hang on a bit longer Dan," whispered Tom. "We don't know what's going to happen yet," he hissed.

"Ah team ! Sorry I'm late," said Stella loudly, causing them all to spin round guiltily to face her. Stella looked a little puzzled at their behaviour, but made no comment. She had long since given up trying to decipher the teen dynamics of her most unusual spy team. For some reason Dan was sitting in an office chair with Aneisha and Keri each holding one of his hands and Tom was now standing behind him gripping Dan's shoulder. Ah, she was getting an idea of what was going on now. "Frank, have you briefed the team about, you know ?" she asked.

"No, no ! I was going to wait for you," said Frank eagerly. He frowned as Stella nodded towards the team. Frank looked at the tight group of teens holding on to one another as if their lives depended on it, thought back to what he had said to them and suddenly realised what a monumental cockup he had made of things. "Ooooh ! Erm, I think we need to clear up a few things," he gabbled in panic.

"Yes we do," agreed Stella firmly and calmly. "Please relax all of you," she said kindly. "I think I have some good news for you. All of you !" she said, looking pointedly at the pale-faced Dan. "You have all been offered places at institutes of further education. Well done all of you ! Your contracts with MI High have now come to an end."

Dan gulped and closed his eyes. This was it. It was all over. The words that came next sounded like they were in a dream.

"However, MI9 has been pleased with all of your work and are not ready to let you go. We would like to offer you new contracts to continue working for MI9 during your further education," explained Stella.

Dan's eyes flicked open. "What, a sort of MI Uni ?" asked Keri.

"Moonie ?" asked Tom uncertainly.

"Erm, maybe not," said Frank uncertainly.

"Wait, you said that MI9 didn't want me on the senior agent training programme ?" asked Dan

faintly.

"That's right," said Frank. "You don't need the full training programme. You can already do nearly everything. You only need booster training in weapons, electronics and communications," he explained.

"You could have told me that before !" complained Dan.

"Oh, did I not do that ?" asked Frank, looking sheepish. Dan shook his head. "Sorry about that," Frank added.

Dan's shoulders slumped. He felt exhausted. He hadn't slept properly for nearly a week since Frank told him he wouldn't be taking the adult agent training. He felt a lot happier knowing what he did now, but boy was he tired !

"How are we going to work together ?" asked Keri. "We're all going to different places, and Dan didn't get in anywhere," she said rather tactlessly.

"What ? I didn't apply anywhere !" Dan objected. "Actually, where am I going to go ?" he asked, slumping further into his chair.

"Well, it wasn't easy, because you need to attend courses in the same city. Keri has been given an arts foundation course place at Central St Martins, Tom has Applied Physics at UCL, Aneisha has Medicine, also at UCL, and Dan will be studying Music," said Stella with a smile. "You're moving to London," she added.

"Hey, Music Dan ! How's that ?" asked Keri. "Dan ?" she asked when there was no reply.

Dan had slumped forward in his chair. His forehead was resting on the table in front and he was fast asleep.

"Dan's fine with that," Keri assured Stella.

 **Soooooo, new story huh. I have no idea where this one is going, so you'll find out as soon as I do :)**

 **Gladys Rags**


	2. Chapter 2

**MI High is coming to an end. What is going to be the future for the team ? Is there a future for the team ? Will everyone go their separate ways or will they stay together ? Moving in.**

" **Hey, Music Dan ! How's that ?" asked Keri. "Dan ?" she asked when there was no reply.**

 **Dan had slumped forward in his chair. His forehead was resting on the table in front and he was fast asleep.**

" **Dan's fine with that," Keri assured Stella.**

Aneisha stood beside Tom outside an anonymous building in a London back street. "It's not really homey is it ?" she asked, looking dubiously at the blank brick wall containing a single grey, metallic door with a keypad mounted on the wall alongside. She had been hoping for some cosy, period property like the ones she'd seen in 'Made in Chelsea'. This was nothing like it.

"Well, I guess it needs to look inconspicuous," said Tom doubtfully. He had been expecting some kind of high tech loft apartment in one of the buzzing parts of London, not an anonymous door on an anonymous back street. Where was the glass ? Where was the steel ? The keypad didn't even look new.

They heard footsteps approaching and turned to find Dan and Keri walking towards them. Keri waved and grinned, swinging a huge handbag over one arm. Dan was wearing a black rucksack. He nodded. They halted beside the others and Keri stared at the door. "Is that it ?" she asked in disbelief.

"Well, we all came to the same place," said Tom. "Either it's the right place, or we're all idiots."

Keri frowned at him "Gee thanks," she said. "I was expecting something kind of James Bond, mews house with super high tech stuff," she said vaguely. "What about you ?" she asked Dan.

Dan shrugged. "Yeah, and a big sign saying 'MI9 Safe House'," he said drily. He pulled a piece of paper from his pocket and approached the keypad. "Hm," he grunted before pressing a key on the keypad. A blue light flashed over his face briefly and the door clicked softly open. "Let's have a look," he suggested, waving towards the door.

"Ooh, ooh !" said Tom, hopping up and down excitedly. "Facial recognition !"

Dan rolled his eyes. "Well, what did you expect ? It's a fake keypad so it doesn't look too conspicuous," he explained.

"How do you know ? Have you been here before ?" asked Keri curiously.

"Nope. I've been doing MI9 catchup courses all summer while you three had your holidays," grunted Dan. "No flash security on show at MI9 safe houses, so they blend in with their surroundings," he explained. The others glanced at one another. Dan sounded so knowledgeable !

They walked down a short corridor. A blue light flashed down from the ceiling across each of them as they passed. "Welcome Agents Morgan, Summers, Tupper and Jones," said a computer voice. A set of doors at the end of the corridor opened into a stainless steel lined lift. The lift took them silently up and the doors opened into a large hall area lined with wooden cupboard doors. A small black box sat on a low table in the middle of the floor.

"Here it is," said Dan.

The others all looked baffled. "Here's what ?" asked Keri.

"The instructions," said Dan. "Frank !" he said loudly. The black box lit up and a shaft of light shot out of the side, making Aneisha jump back slightly in fright. A life-sized hologram of Frank London appeared in front of them.

"Team !" said Frank's voice. "I'm afraid this is my last briefing for you. From now on you will be managed by your senior MI9 handlers. Good luck for the future. It just remains for me to explain how your new base operates," he explained.

At first everyone was startled at Frank's news, except for Dan who looked a little sad. "You knew ?" whispered Keri. Dan just nodded and said nothing.

"Right, you are currently standing in the hallway, which is also your weapons and equipment store," explained Frank. "Open the doors and familiarise yourself with the contents," he instructed. Tom tentatively pressed one of the doors and it clicked open to display a rack containing guns of different types. Aneisha opened another door to reveal electronics kit. Keri found explosive materials and Dan found a selection of gas canisters and gas masks.

"You can take your time to get to know where everything is later," continued Frank. "This building is kitted out with a variety of defensive capabilities with which you must also familiarise yourselves. A handbook has been delivered to all of your Spy Pods. Take time to read this," he ordered seriously. "One day your lives may depend upon it," he added. Then he smiled again. In spite of knowing it was only a recording, they all smiled back. "The living area !" announced Frank as a door clicked open. They walked through and found a large sitting room laid out with comfortable leather armchairs, a large television, dining area, a large fish tank and some bookshelves.

"Fish !" said Tom, looking stunned.

"You are responsible for feeding the fish," explained Frank. "Instructions beside the tank," he added. "Kitchen through the back, washing facilities also," he said. "Your bags are in your rooms. Explore and enjoy team. And I just wanted to say, it's been a pleasure and a privilege," he said. Franks bottom lip was now quivering slightly. Goodbye !" he said suddenly and his hologram disappeared inside its little black box as quickly as it had appeared.

The team stood staring at the little box. "You too Frank," said Aneisha forlornly. Nobody moved for a minute.

"Come on. We might as well look round," said Dan. This broke the spell and they all started to wander around the rooms.

"Wow ! Awesome !" muttered Tom as he entered his bedroom. It was kitted out with a full laboratory at one end, filled with all sorts of gizmos and devices. He also had all of his favourite games and their consoles. He noticed that the window had one-way glass. He could see out, but nobody would be able to see inside.

Aneisha walked into a smaller room with fitted wardrobes. Her bags were neatly stacked in the corner. She had a large double bed, a pair of cosy armchairs a large dressing table and mirror, large study desk, plus a neat en suite. It suited her tastes perfectly.

Keri walked into a similar room, decked out in brighter colours. There was a much larger pile of luggage, plus a sewing machine in a case and she had a large table laid out with equipment for her course and a large pin board on the wall. She pressed her hands together and bounced up and down in happiness. It was perfect !

Dan looked curiously around his room. It was decorated in plain blues and greys with a large double bed at one end. Two guitar cases rested in one corner, beside a drum kit. A large set of shelves stood empty except for one framed photograph. He lifted it up and stared at the picture. It was a photograph of himself, his parents and his little sister, taken recently. Everyone was grinning happily at the camera. He briefly smiled back at them, but the smile vanished as he felt a deep pang of home-sickness. Blinking back tears he stared at the ceiling, hugging the picture to his chest. He could do this. He was ready. All of his friends were moving away from home. Surely he could do it ! He noticed a set of keys on his desk. There was a note beside them. "Ground floor. Enjoy !" said the note.

"Dan !" called out Tom. Dan smiled to himself. He had brought all of his friends with him. How cool was that ? He picked up the keys and walked out into the living area. Tom was staring into the fish tank. "This is actually pretty cool. I could get used to this," said Tom.

Dan waved the keys at Tom. "Fancy finding out what these are for ?" he asked. Tom grinned and nodded. They searched around and found a door they hadn't yet tried. It lead to a staircase which took them down to another door. The door opened on to darkness. Tom stepped out and lights came on automatically. They were standing in a large garage which must have filled most of the ground floor of the building. It contained a standard MI9 black van, two inconspicuous cars and a large motorbike, with two helmets. Dan held out the keys. "What do you think ?" he asked Tom. Tom shrugged. Dan put on one of the helmets and handed the other to Tom. Tom pushed it on his head and stood looking at Dan.

"Do you know how to work one of these things ?" he asked in a muffled voice.

"I had lessons during the summer," said Dan. He put the keys into the motorbike and the engine roared into life. "Hop on !" he said. Tom gingerly climbed on the back of the bike, gripping tightly on to Dan's leather jacket. "Don't worry, I'll go slowly," Dan promised. He edged the bike towards a large door which opened automatically and they left the building. Dan twisted the throttle and the bike roared. He grinned inside the helmet. Result !

They tore off down the street with Tom screaming, "Slowly ! You said slowly !"


	3. Chapter 3

**MI High is coming to an end. What is going to be the future for the team ? Is there a future for the team ? Will everyone go their separate ways or will they stay together ? What does this do ?**

 _Tom gingerly climbed on the back of the bike, gripping tightly on to Dan's leather jacket. "Don't worry, I'll go slowly," Dan promised. He edged the bike towards a large door which opened automatically and they left the building. Dan twisted the throttle and the bike roared. He grinned inside the helmet. Result !_

 _They tore off down the street with Tom screaming, "Slowly ! You said slowly !"_

The automatic door closed on the ground floor garage. Tom's face was red from stress and he was still furious. "You said slowly !" he croaked hoarsely.

"That was slow !" Dan repeated for what felt like the millionth time. His ears were ringing from Tom's screams. In the end he had had to turn off the internal microphones in the crash helmets to save his hearing. "I did speed riding as well. I can't do that on the public streets during day time for no reason," he pointed out. Tom just stared at him in disbelief. Dan sighed. "Come on, the others will be wondering where we got to," he said, heading for the stairs. Tom shakily followed.

"I guess you found the motor vehicle garage then !" chirped Keri when they entered the living area. She laughed when she saw Tom's face. "What was it then, the motorbike or the car ?" she asked Dan.

"Bike," said Dan brightly, throwing himself on to the sofa and squinting to look at Keri's Spy Pod. "Are those the house instructions ?" he asked. Keri nodded.

"You should try the car Tom," said Keri. "It's really, really fast !" she chirped, teasing him.

"Oh great ! Just great !" Tom groaned, falling on to the other sofa next to Aneisha.

"It's Okay Tom. We've got just the thing to cheer you up," said Aneisha with a smile. "We need to use the lift. Come on !" They all followed Aneisha into the lift. She stabbed at the button twice and the lift stopped before it reached the entrance floor. The doors opened and Tom groaned loudly at what was in front of him.

"Gym ! Yay !" yelled Dan, running out and dashing between all the different pieces of equipment. In no time he was leaping over pommels, swinging from bars and lifting different weights on the various machines.

"Well, Dan likes it !" said Keri, laughing at Dan's exuberance.

"Gym. Yay," said Tom in a flat tone.

Aneisha laughed and put her arm around his shoulder. "Don't worry, your playroom is upstairs," she promised. Tom's eyebrows raised. He wasn't too sure what Aneisha was suggesting. "Step away from the toys Dan !" ordered Aneisha. He just grinned and followed them back into the lift, barely out of breath.

This time Aneisha walked over to some wooden display cabinets on the wall and pulled on a blue bottle of gin. The cabinets spun and disappeared. In their place was a wide wall covered in screens and communications equipment.

"Wow !" muttered Dan. "Look at all that, stuff !" he muttered.

"Stuff ?" scoffed Tom. "Satellite connections, CCTV, high bandwidth internet access, all security databases ! Wow !" he murmured. "I could practically run the country from here !" he said in amazement.

"Yeah, till the biscuits run out !" muttered Dan. Tom scowled at him and he grinned back. "Toys for Tommy boy !" he laughed. Dan wrapped an arm round Tom's shoulder. "This game boy, is all yours ! Enjoy !"

Finally Tom smiled. This was definitely his department, wasn't it ? "So where's Aneisha's private hospital ?" asked Tom.

Aneisha rolled her eyes. "I'm not qualified ?" she pointed out.

"Yet," said Tom.

"At all !" insisted Aneisha.

"The instructions say we've got to get acquainted with all the building facilities, before we get our first assignment," said Keri, reading from the manual.

Dan glanced at his watch. "Well, I don't know about you, but I'm going to get acquainted with the fridge, followed by my bed," said Dan, stretching.

"Plan !" agreed Tom, immediately setting off in search of food.

"That's the quickest he's moved all day," said Dan.

"When he wasn't on the back of your bike !" pointed out Keri. "Don't give him a heart attack," she added.

"I was going slowly !" protested Dan once again.

"Yeah Dan ! You could tell from the look of joy on his face !" said Aneisha sarcastically. "Come on, I'm starving. Tom will clear out the fridge before we get there," she said.

The next day, the team explored the house properly, trying to get the hang of how everything worked and where everything was stored. It was a lot to take in. Late in the afternoon, Keri noticed that Dan had disappeared. She knocked on his door tentatively. There was no answer so she cautiously pushed the door open. Immediately the loud crashing of drums hit her ears. Dan was sitting at a drum kit, wearing headphones. He suddenly stopped and spun round on his stool, looking startled.

"Sorry, I didn't realise you were playing. You can't hear a thing from outside," stammered Keri in embarrassment.

Dan pulled off his headphones. "It's Okay, you just gave me a fright," he admitted. "Come in," he invited her.

Keri shut the door behind her and sat on the end of the bed. "I didn't know you played the drums," she said.

"I don't really," admitted Dan, running his hand through his hair. "It's just that the music college require you to play two instruments. Drums are the only other thing I've ever tried to play, apart from the guitar," he explained. "I wish I was better," he muttered.

"You're better than you think you are," said Keri, looking round the room. It was so plain compared to hers.

"How do you know ?" asked Dan.

"You always are," said Keri. She caught Dan's sceptical look. "Always," she assured him. He gave her a slight smile. She did find him soooooo cute when he did that. Keri stuck her hands between her knees. It was going to be tough living in the same house all the time. Deep breaths Keri ! She was so busy concentrating on not making a fool of herself, she didn't notice Dan moving in for the kiss. Their lips met and she squeaked in surprise. Dan pulled back.

"Sorry, did you not want, I mean …." he stammered in embarrassment.

"Ooh, no ! I mean yes, I do, I do !" burbled Keri. "Oh come here !" she hissed, grabbing his top and pulling him in for one really big, long, concentrated kiss. "Hmm. That was it," she said with a satisfied smile as they both toppled over so they were half lying on the bed. She opened her eyes to find Dan's crystal blue eyes staring into hers intently.

"Yeah !" murmured Dan, suddenly wrapping his arms around her, and pulling her into another passionate kiss. Groaning with pleasure, their lips were still locked together when there was a polite tapping at the door. Instantly their eyes popped open. "Mwm," mumbled Dan. They separated.

"Soundproof," whispered Keri. The knocking got louder.

"Not from in here," groaned Dan.

Reluctantly they got off the bed, tidied their clothes and Dan opened the door. Tom was standing there looking puzzled. "What were you doing ?" he asked curiously. "I've been knocking for ages !" he complained.

"Oh, Dan was playing the drums. I was listening," explained Keri. "Sorry, we didn't hear you," she said, brushing a stray lock of hair from her face.

"Wow, good sound proofing," said Tom admiringly. They did both look a bit red in the face. Must have been some pretty serious drumming, he thought. "Aneisha's cooking. Do you want some ?" he asked.

"Oooh yeah !" said Keri, winking at Dan. He grinned and blushed, but Tom was oblivious. He was thinking about Aneisha's cooking.


	4. Chapter 4

**MI High is coming to an end. What is going to be the future for the team ? Is there a future for the team ? Will everyone go their separate ways or will they stay together ?**

 **Oodles of thanks for the reviews guys. Always lovely.**

 **Where's Frank ?**

" _Wow, good sound proofing," said Tom admiringly. They did both look a bit red in the face. Must have been some pretty serious drumming, he thought. "Aneisha's cooking. Do you want some ?" he asked._

" _Oooh yeah !" said Keri, winking at Dan. He grinned and blushed, but Tom was oblivious. He was thinking about Aneisha's cooking._

Tom approached the UCL building accompanied by Aneisha. There were a series of notice boards at the main entrance to the building. They were surrounded by large groups of nervous looking students. Once they finally managed to work through to the front they found the joining instructions for different study groups. "You're in the Med Wing," said Tom. "I'm in Science Block 1," he added. "Well, have a good day," he said confidently. "I'll see you later," he said, slightly less confidently. His bottom lip started to quiver.

Aneisha reached out and hugged Tom tightly. "I'll miss you too," she said. "This is the course you've been looking forward to for ages isn't it ?" she asked.

Tom smiled and nodded. Aneisha always knew how to make him feel better. "Have a great day," he said, confident once more.

"You too. Don't blow anything up," she said before walking away, grinning over her shoulder.

Tom was about to call out, "Don't kill anyone" when he thought better of it. Aneisha would probably say it was inappropriate.

Tom found a large lecture theatre filled mostly with guys his own age and a smattering of girls. The head of the department gave what was obviously intended to be the comedy introductory lecture, accompanied by the usual instructions to work hard and enjoy being a student. Then names were called out and each group of students was sent off with their tutor group for individual briefings. Tom sat and waited as the theatre gradually emptied out. Finally he was the only student left along with one shabbily dressed man standing at the front. "Ah, Tupper ?" asked the man. Tom stood and walked down the steps to inspect his tutor. He looked like Frank, but only after Frank had been sleeping rough on the streets for a fortnight. "Um, and you Sir ?" asked Tom politely.

"Me ? Oh, Professor Hun … Hun … Hunter," the man stammered. "Gosh that was bad. I tend to st, st, st, stammer when I get n n nervous," he added. "Don't worry, it'l wear off i minute o two," he said.

"Am I the only student in your study group ?" asked Tom as he followed Professor Hunter through the corridors.

"Hm, of c c course," said the Professor. He opened a door and showed Tom inside. After closing and locking the door the Professor looked at Tom in amusement. His eyes were a piercing blue, not unlike Dan's. "You can't possibly work with anyone else can you ?" the Professor asked. He pressed one of the books on his higgledy piggledy shelves, which promptly swung to one side to reveal a larger room laid out as a laboratory filled with sophisticated equipment. "Can't discuss MI9 business in front of the other students can we ?" he said confidently. Once inside the lab, the door closed behind them.

"You're MI9 ?" asked Tom in surprise.

The Professor nodded. "I shall be your handler for the duration of your assignment at the university," he explained. "I shall also be providing your MI9 technical training outside of your regular course work," he added.

"Erm, your stammer ?" asked Tom confused.

"Yes, useful, don't you think ?" asked the Professor with a smile. "I'm rather proud of it, although Camilla complains I overdo it a bit," he added dreamily.

"Camilla ?" asked Tom.

"Oh, don't worry, you'll meet the others soon enough," promised the Professor.

"Others ?" asked Tom, now completely confused.

"You each get your own handler," explained the Professor. "We train and support your work as you make the transition to adult agents. Admittedly we haven't tried this method before so everyone is feeling their way a bit. Should be fun don't you think ?" he asked with a grin.

"Okay," said Tom, looking round the well-equipped lab. "So you're not a real Professor ?" he asked.

Professor Hunter drew up to his full height. "Yes I am. I'll have you know I am an Associate Professor with UCL and I have two PhD's to my name. I couldn't be bothered finishing the third," he said, rubbing his chin dreamily. "Shall we get started ?" he asked.

"Yeah, I mean yes Sir," said Tom.

========== xxxx =========

Meanwhile Aneisha was having a similar conversation with Doctor Bertolli. "You can call me Maria," said the woman holding out her hand. "I shall be your academic tutor and your MI9 handler and trainer for the duration of your course. I shall be instructing you on all matters MI9 while you are here. Any questions ?" she asked briskly.

"When do we start ?" asked Aneisha.

Doctor Bertolli smiled. "Now is always good with me," she said.

====== xxxxx ==========

Keri stepped inside her tutor's office. The walls were covered with images of fashion shows and mock-ups of costumes. She was slightly surprised when the tutor locked the door. "Good, now we won't get interrupted," said the woman. She held out her hand. "Camilla McManus," she said, shaking Keri's hand. "I will be your tutor and MI9 instructor for the duration of your course," she explained.

"What, just for me ?" asked Keri.

"Yes, I am here for your training and support, although obviously I will be available for support during all of your team's missions as well," she said. "I am the deep cover expert amongst the handlers. You'll be meeting the other handlers in due course," she explained. She smoothed down her smart suit. "I also have a fabulous knowledge of fashion, if I say so myself," she said proudly.

"You sure do !" agreed Keri, staring in envy at the beautifully cut outfit her handler was wearing.

======== xxxxx ========

Dan walked into the music college manoeuvring his guitar case among the crowds of students, most of whom were also lugging instrument cases of all kinds. He smiled sympathetically at the girl hauling a double bass case on wheels through the hall. "Knew I should have taken flute," the girl muttered as she struggled past.

"I don't know. You kind of stand out with a bass," said Dan. She flashed a grin before being swallowed up in the crowd again. Dan found a noticeboard with lists of students names. He found his own and set off in search of the room where he had to report. The room turned out to be a large music practice room with a drum kit in the corner. An elderly man was sitting on a chair reading a book. The man glanced up as he entered the room. Dan looked around, expecting to see more students.

"It's just you," said the man, putting his book down. "Professor Attmeyer," he said, by way of introduction. "You are ?" he asked.

"Dan Morgan," said Dan.

"Good. Show me your guitar," instructed the Professor. Dan took the guitar out of its case. The Professor gave it a quick look over and said, "Play." Dan pulled up a chair and sat down to nervously play his guitar. He played a short classical Spanish piece his guitar teacher had taught him years ago. "Hm, I think we'll get away with it," said the Professor. "Do you play more modern normally ?" he asked. Dan nodded, feeling puzzled. What did the guy mean by 'get away with it' ?

"So, do you specialise in guitar ?" asked Dan tentatively.

"What ? No, mainly combat and explosives," said the man, leaning back in his chair. "I was the only one MI9 could find who could play an instrument," said the man. "Came out of retirement for this," he muttered.

"You're MI9 ?" asked Dan in shock.

"Well, you were hardly going to get someone who wondered why you turned up covered in bruises every Monday morning were you ?" asked the man sharply.

"I guess not," said Dan, subconsciously pulling back in his chair.

"Yes, well, we'll try to avoid that," said the man more softly. "Good to meet you Dan," he said, holding out his hand. Dan was surprised at the firmness of the older man's handshake. "We'll get started on your training," he said. Dan was shocked to his core when he found himself flying through the air, to crash flat on his back on the ground. The older man looked down at him with a satisfied look on his face. "Hm ! Still got it !" he said happily.


	5. Chapter 5

**MI High is coming to an end. What is going to be the future for the team ? Is there a future for the team ? Will everyone go their separate ways or will they stay together ?**

 **Teaching new dogs old tricks.**

" _Good to meet you Dan," he said, holding out his hand. Dan was surprised at the firmness of the older man's handshake. "We'll get started on your training," he said. Dan was shocked to his core when he found himself flying through the air, to crash flat on his back on the ground. The older man looked down at him with a satisfied look on his face. "Hm ! Still got it !" he said happily._

Dan stared up at the ceiling in some pain. He rolled over cautiously, thanking his lucky stars that the floor had been wooden and not concrete, getting on to his hands and knees. The door opened and a woman looked in. "Is everything all right Professor. Only I heard the most awful crash," she said apologetically, staring at Dan.

"Um, yeah. I fell over," said Dan, trying not to groan. She looked disbelieving. It had to have been a pretty big crash. "Off the chair," added Dan, pointing to the chair where he had previously been sitting. "Silly really," he added, trying to avoid the temptation to embroider the story even further.

"Oh, well, if everything is fine then ..." she tailed off when Dan and the Professor nodded enthusiastically together. She left, closing the door softly behind her.

"Oh bugger it !" snapped Prof. Attmeyer. "I was supposed to activate the crash mat before we started training. It muffles the sound. And it should, er, break your fall somewhat. Haven't broken anything I hope ?" he asked. Dan shook his head. "I won't hear the end of it from Bertie if I damage you before we even start training !" he complained. He walked over to the piano in the corner and played a non-musical chord on the low notes. A gently shimmering layer appeared over the floor. The Professor then locked the door. "Now, lets see what you can do. Try to kill me," he instructed.

Dan was stunned by the instruction, but then, nothing had been ordinary today. He shrugged and attacked the older man. The Professor easily dodged, but Dan spotted him reaching to grab his arm and it was his turn to twist out of reach. The Professor raised one eyebrow. "Not bad. Try again," he instructed. They continued sparring, with a break for lunch, for the rest of the day.

Late that afternoon, Dan staggered into the safe house, dropping his guitar in the hall and throwing himself on to one of the sofas. "Urgh !" he groaned. "That guy is going to kill me," his muffled voice spoke from face down on the sofa. "Bloody crash mat ! I'd need about six feet of foam. The guy is ancient but he still throws like a gorilla !" he complained.

Tom looked at Dan sympathetically from the opposite sofa, holding a cup of coffee in his hand. "I'm not too sure about Professor Hunter either. He had me formulating new explosives. It's a miracle the guy hasn't blown himself up yet. What did you do today ?" he asked Aneisha.

"I worked in the lab analysing different poison samples," said Aneisha. "Hard work, but really interesting," she added, looking pleased.

Keri was curled up on an armchair. "I did deep cover training. Learned a few handy makeup tricks you can do with regular stuff and convinced the security guy that I was a public health inspector," she said happily. Tom and Aneisha nodded in interest. "Whose turn is it to cook tonight ?" asked Keri.

"Oh God !" groaned Dan, still face-down on the sofa. "It's me."

"What are you going to make ?" asked Keri.

"Spaghetti Bolognese," said Dan.

"Brill ! Love it !" said Tom. "Do you want a cup of tea mate ?" he asked.

"Please," said Dan.

======= xxxx =======

In a secret MI9 base not far away, a senior officer was meeting with the four training agents. "Agents, your initial reports please ?" asked the officer.

"Tupper. Brilliant mind. Imaginative as well as bright. Little physical fitness. Over-dependent on his team mates for field work," reported Agent Hunter.

"Jones. Good, analytical mind, excellent emotional intelligence. Appropriate use of her abilities. Good physical fitness. Basic fighting skills," reported Agent Bertolli.

"Summers. Excellent learning ability. Very good fighting skills. Can be distracted, but good reflexes and ability to adapt quickly have saved her so far," reported Agent McManus.

"Morgan. Underestimates himself. Excellent fighting skills. Limited technical skills. Takes time to learn them. Overly developed sense of responsibility for his team," reported Agent Attmeyer.

"Thankyou. So, the agent most likely to get themselves killed ?" asked the officer.

"Morgan !" came the reply from three of the agents.

"Really ?" asked Agent Hunter. "He seems the most competent spy from his file," he said, wonderingly.

"Yes. You haven't met him have you ?" asked Agent Bertolli. "Agent McManus and I met him at the training camp over the summer. He tries to take too much on himself. Also his inexperience with weapons will be a significant handicap, won't it Agent Attmeyer ?" she said to the Professor.

Professor Attmeyer nodded reluctantly. "I am working on his combat skills as much as I can. I am concerned," he paused. "Well, you know that this is why I returned don't you ?" he asked, looking up sharply.

"We are very grateful Agent Attmeyer," said the officer. "I am sure you will do all that you can," she added before tapping some papers on the desk. "Thankyou for your reports agents," said the officer. "We have a mission for them to undertake on Friday evening. This mission has been selected as intermediate level, appropriate for their skill level. I'll leave you the details and you can brief the team. Mission active 1900 hours Friday 11th September. Any questions ?" asked the officer. There were none. "Good. Confirm activation by Thursday 1800 hours. Dismissed !" she said, before getting up and leaving the room.

The four agents sat back down once the officer had left and quickly scanned the mission instructions. "Hm, they have estimated a low turnout for a KORPS base," commented Professor Attmeyer.

"And limited access to weapons," added Agent Bertolli. "That's not like KORPS. Do you think we should check this out ?" she asked the others.

"Always. Trust nobody. Check everything," said Agent Hunter. He looked up to find the others smiling. "I know ! Secret Agent 101 ! Still works for me," he said crisply.

"That goes for all of us Abe," said Agent McManus.

On Thursday the four training agents told their respective trainees that they would be visiting the safe house that night to brief them on their first mission. Aneisha invited them to dinner. The four agents arrived together and Tom let them in. Dan immediately recognised the two women. "Oh, it's Agent McManus isn't it,and Agent Bertolli ?" he asked, surprised. They shook hands.

"Nice to meet you again Agent Morgan," said Agent McManus. She introduced all the agents who hadn't yet met. "So, whose turn is it to cook ?" she asked.

"Me," said Dan, a little furtively.

"Lovely. What are we having ?" asked Agent McManus.

"Spaghetti Bolognese," said Dan.

Tom, Aneisha and Keri looked at him. "Dan, is that all you can cook ?" Tom asked hesitantly.

"Yes," said Dan, through gritted teeth, before he burst out with, "Look ! I spent all summer training. When I got back home I only had two days, so Sam taught me how to make Spaghetti Bolognese, and that's what I can make !" he said defensively, shoving his hands into his pockets.

"Well, I love Spaghetti Bolognese," said Professor Attmeyer gently. "In fact, I think it was the first thing I learned to cook when I was a student," he added. "Can I help ?" he asked.

Dan looked calmer now, and surprised at the offer of help. "Erm, yes please," he said politely, showing the Professor into the kitchen.

"Sorry," said Aneisha once Dan was out of earshot. "It's just that he cooked it on Monday and we sort of assumed he knew how to cook," she explained quietly.

An hour and a half later everyone was sitting round a table of empty bowls. "Well, I think that went down rather well, don't you ?" the Professor asked Dan.

Agent Hunter burped. "Pardon. Yes, excellent thankyou. Cottage pie next old chap. Easy as, well, pie actually," he said, laughing.

"Right, mission briefing," announced Dr Bertolli. "Comms please Thomas !" she instructed. Tom walked over to the cabinet and pulled on the Gin bottle. The communication consoles opened up. Dr. Bertolli pointed a device at the computer and a video scrolled up on the screen. "This is your mission. You must infiltrate this small KORPS base and retrieve intelligence regarding 'Project Bombast' from their computer suite. It is apparently only accessible via this individual computer suite because they don't share the information with the rest of the organisation. MI9 estimate a low number of agents present on this particular date and time. Agent Tupper is to break through the base security after insertion with Summers, Jones and Morgan. We will coordinate and provide support from an MI9 support vehicle. You will analyse the mission brief and take what equipment you need. We will monitor and provide backup if necessary. This mission activates at 1900 hours tomorrow. Any questions ?" she asked.

There was silence for a minute before Aneisha asked, "Will they have guns ?"

"We do not know. MI9 have indicated there will be limited weapons at the facility, but you must take necessary precautions as you see fit," explained Agent McManus. "We've done what we can to verify this intel and it appears to be correct, if unusual," she added.

"We never had to use weapons before," said Keri.

"That is because your missions were always carefully selected to suit your age and abilities," explained Agent McManus. "Junior agents are not expected to kill enemy agents. Hence you were never sent into situations where weapons were expected to be used. This is all going to change. We are here to help you move into your adult roles," she said.

"We might have to kill people ?" asked Dan nervously.

"It is always a possibility," said the Professor. "Hopefully it will not be necessary yet. This mission has been selected as appropriate to your skill levels and experience. It is not a training exercise, but at the same time it is not the most demanding mission," he explained. "Are you ready ?" he asked.

Dan, Tom, Aneisha and Keri nodded. "We're ready," said Keri.


	6. Chapter 6

**MI High is coming to an end. What is going to be the future for the team ? Is there a future for the team ? Will everyone go their separate ways or will they stay together ?**

 **According to plan ?**

" _We might have to kill people ?" asked Dan nervously._

" _It is always a possibility," said the Professor. "Hopefully it will not be necessary yet. This mission has been selected as appropriate to your skill levels and experience. It is not a training exercise, but at the same time it is not the most demanding mission," he explained. "Are you ready ?" he asked._

 _Dan, Tom, Aneisha and Keri nodded. "We're ready," said Keri._

Late on Friday afternoon the four spies gathered in the entrance hall to their living area to lay out their chosen equipment. Amongst several pieces of part-eaten pizza, Tom had a pile of computer equipment and other gadgets. Keri and Dan had both selected tasers, laser cutters and proximity detectors, or "thingies" as they had become known to the team in earlier missions. "How are you going to carry all that stuff Tom ?" asked Keri.

Tom looked at his gear and frowned. "I hadn't thought about that," he admitted.

"Might be a bit heavy," pointed out Dan.

Tom attempted to pick up the whole pile and only just got it off the floor. "You're right," he said. "Damn ! I wanted to make sure I would be able to get through everything," he said, looking worried.

"Can't you copy some of it onto data storage or something ?" asked Aneisha. "You can't carry all that on your own. Also, what if we run into trouble and you have to run ? Have you started your fitness regime that Agent Hunter told you to start yet ?" she asked.

Tom looked guilty. "Well, not exactly," he admitted. When Aneisha's eyebrows raised he defended himself. "I couldn't help it. There was so much stuff that I had to revise and it's been really busy !" he exclaimed.

Aneisha sighed and looked at the tiny piles in front of Dan and Keri. "Have you got enough stuff ?" she asked.

Dan shrugged. "Thought I'd travel light. There shouldn't be too much trouble if the place is lightly staffed. I want to be able to run when I have to," he added.

Keri nodded in agreement. "We never needed more than a taser before. I don't see why we should need more now just because we're a bit older. I'll work it out as I go along. Same old, " she said, shrugging. "What about comms Tom ? What are we taking ?" she asked.

"Comms are going to be in the mission van," explained Tom. "Agent Hunter told me they would provide everything we need," he added. His phone buzzed. "They're here," he said.

In silence everyone picked up their gear and headed for the lift. Nobody spoke in the lift. Aneisha and Tom headed down the corridor towards the front door. Dan hung back, and pulled on Keri's arm. "Keri," he whispered. She glanced back at him and smiled slightly. "Be careful," he whispered. She leaned across and kissed him lightly on the lips.

"Always," she promised him, before they hurried to catch up with the others.

The four older agents were wearing MI9 field uniform. Basically, they were all in black. Keri couldn't help herself. She was nervous and a little random chat always ran through her mind and out of her mouth on these occasions. "I wonder why it's always black," she burbled. "It kind of assumes we only go out after dark. It's not like you'd blend in anywhere is it ? Unless we were infiltrating a biker gang or something, and then we'd need way more tattoos," she said. She glanced around and everyone was staring at her in silence. "Just saying !" she added before sighing and sitting back in her chair. There was no banter these days. At least Frank would have rolled his eyes. She didn't see the faint smile on Agent McManus's lips.

By the time they were beginning their assignment, they were each wearing headsets with microphones and cameras. Tom's gear had been whittled down to one Spy Pod by Agent Hunter and the Professor had grumbled over the lack of weapons being carried by Keri and Dan. "It's what we usually take," said Dan.

Tom broke through the outer security perimeter with ease. It was a slightly out-dated system with features which MI9 knew well. "That'll teach them to upgrade !" muttered Tom triumphantly as the outer metal door swung open in front of them.

Aneisha swept the area in front with her proximity detector. "Clear," she murmured. They all swept silently into the building and started making their way through the empty, darkened corridors.

Keri allowed herself one brief glance around the team as they moved along. Apart from the glow of Tom's screen close to his face, they were barely visible. Black. It all made sense.

"It's here, the computer room," said Tom, waving his Spy Pod at a blank door. After a few seconds he managed to open the door. The room inside was lit by the faint glows of computer terminal screens. "Any of those should do it," he said. He hesitated when nobody moved forward. "You coming in then ?" he asked.

"We need to keep guard outside," whispered Dan. "We can't risk all getting trapped in there. We'll look out for trouble. You get the intel," he said.

Tom gulped. "Do I have to go in on my own ?" he hissed. "What if there's someone else in there ?" he asked.

Dan sighed. "Aneisha ? Would you mind ?" he asked. Aneisha just nodded and went with Tom into the computer room. Dan and Keri stood where they could see down both of the approaching corridors. "Why is it so quiet ?" whispered Dan into his comms. "Where is everybody ?"

"I've been wondering the same thing," came the Professor's voice quietly over the comms. "I don't like it."

Suddenly a loud bipping noise burst out in the corridor. "Sorry !" shouted Tom from inside the computer room. "I think I tripped an alarm !" he shouted above the noise. They heard the sound of thundering footsteps.

"Tom ! We've got company !" yelled Dan. "Hurry up !"

"I need another minute," shouted Tom. "I'm going as quick as I can !"

The first figure appeared at the end of the corridor facing Dan. He glanced at Keri. She nodded back and dropped into combat position. Great ! They were coming at them from both directions. Almost instantly they were fighting. They both managed to get off a taser bolt, which took out the first three or four KORPS agents, but they kept on coming. It was as if someone had kicked an ants nest and agents were pouring out from everywhere. Keri was kicking and spinning at lightning speed, using every trick she had up her sleeve. Dan was kicking and punching his way through the steady stream coming at him. It was only the narrow corridor which was preventing him from being completely overwhelmed.

In the computer room, Aneisha glanced back anxiously towards the door. She could hear Keri and Dan's grunts and the moans of people being hit. "Tom ! Hurry up !" she hissed. She ran towards the door.

"Don't leave me !" begged Tom.

"They need my help ! Otherwise, you're in it too Tupper !" Aneisha told him sharply. With sweat building on his face, Tom willed the data transfer to work faster. The bar on the screen was shrinking, but way too slowly for Tom. It was like time was slowing down, but not enough for those fighting outside.

"Help Keri !" yelled Dan, when Aneisha appeared at the door. Aneisha turned to her left and aimed a flying kick at the guy about to kick Keri in the head.

"Nice one !" shouted Keri, before banging two agents' heads together. "I always enjoy the sound of empty heads coming together," she said, grinning.

Dan was struggling. He was tiring now after constant hard core fighting against a seemingly endless stream of fighters. He was getting tired, but each new opponent was fresh as a daisy. "There are too many of them," groaned Dan. "We can't keep this up for much longer. Is it done yet Tom ? Where are you ?" he demanded.

"A couple of seconds ! Just a couple more !" wailed Tom, glancing back at the melee outside the door. "Got it ! At last !" he hissed, grabbing the data stick from the computer and heading for the door. When he reached the door and saw the scale of the fight going on and the pile of unconscious bodies on the floor he froze in fright. What should he do ? He looked to Aneisha who was fighting steadfastly next to Keri. He turned his head to look at Dan just in time to see Dan crash to the ground under the sheer weight of the attacking force, being punched and kicked where he lay. "No !" screamed Tom, lifting his Spy Pod to smack it around the head of one of Dan's attackers. All he succeeded in doing was knock the man sideways. He turned menacingly and advance on Tom. Seeing Tom's fear he snarled with pleasure.

"This pipsqueak's mine," growled the KORPS agent, reaching for Tom.


	7. Chapter 7

**MI High is coming to an end. What is going to be the future for the team ? Is there a future for the team ? Will everyone go their separate ways or will they stay together ?**

 **Yeah, cliffie ! Old brains are better than no brains.**

 _He turned his head to look at Dan just in time to see Dan crash to the ground under the sheer weight of the attacking force, being punched and kicked where he lay. "No !" screamed Tom, lifting his Spy Pod to smack it around the head of one of Dan's attackers. All he succeeded in doing was knock the man sideways. He turned menacingly and advance on Tom. Seeing Tom's fear he snarled with pleasure._

" _This pipsqueak's mine," growled the KORPS agent, reaching for Tom._

Shortly before a hurried conversation was taking place in the control van. "This is getting completely out of control !" complained the Professor. "There are far more guards then was anticipated. They are hopeless outnumbered, particularly without adequate weapons."

"We don't have the weapons either," pointed out Agent Hunter. "We only have light hand arms."

"Then we shall have to improvise," said the Professor. "Mac ! You're on comms ! Abe, Bertie, you're with me !" he ordered. They didn't question his authority. They did as he said.

As they ran through the deserted corridors, Agent MacManus's voice whispered in their earpieces. "There are dozens more agents converging on the team's position. I estimate you have about 4 minutes before they are entirely overwhelmed. I'm not sure you're going to make it in time," she said in a worried voice.

====== ooooo ========

One of the KORPS agents ran towards the weapons lockers. He'd teach these stupid MI9 agents who were the bosses around here. Fancy turning up without so much as a hand gun. These were a bunch of kids ! Grinning he pulled open a gun locker door and reached inside. The smile left his face. It was empty. What ? Nobody else had come back for guns. He was the only one who'd thought of it. The rest were happy beating the crap out of those kids.

"I expect you're looking for this," said a mild voice behind him. He spun around to find an elderly man, dressed all in black holding a large, evil-looking KORPS mega-gun. "What's this 'Help the Aged' and the 'Work Experience Kids' ?" the KORPS agent asked, laughing. He stopped laughing the instant the Professor pulled the trigger. He really should have noticed that the gun was pointing at him.

"That must have stung a bit," said Agent Hunter, looking down at the bloody remains slumped on the floor. He and Agent Bertolli were also holding KORPS weapons. "Nice little stash you found Oz. Let's go teach these bastards a lesson !" he said grimly.

======== ooooooo ========

As Tom's back hit the wall behind him, he heard a familiar voice shouting loudly in his earpiece. "Agents, down !" ordered Agent MacManus. He dropped to the floor, as did Keri and Aneisha. Immediately he heard the roar of weapons discharging. KORPS agents started screaming. Tom pressed his hands over his ears as bodies fell across him, blood pouring from wounds.

When the firing stopped, Tom shakily lifted his head to view the scene of carnage around him. Heading towards them, stepping over the piles of bodies were Agents Hunter, Attmeyer and Bertolli. "Dan !" he managed to croak, when Agent Hunter pulled a couple of bodies off him so he could get up. Keri, Aneisha, Attmeyer and Bertolli were already at work trying to uncover Dan's body. When Tom got there they had freed him from the pile. Dan lay unconscious on the floor, covered in cuts and bruises. "Oh God !" said Tom hoarsely. Agent Bertolli bent down and quickly examined Dan.

"He's alive. Vitals feel pretty good. Everyone grab hold. After three," she ordered and after counting they all lifted Dan off the ground. "Direct us Mac," asked Bertolli. Between five of them, they were easily able to carry Dan as gently as they could, following the directions given by Agent MacManus. Agent Attmeyer guarded their path, making sure he dealt with any KORPS agent they encountered. Tom marvelled at the older man's reactions.

Agent MacManus drove them at top speed to the nearest MI9 medical unit where Dan was taken away and the rest of them were examined. Keri had caught the worst of the beating but was deemed fit to go home. "Can we see Dan ?" asked Keri.

Agent Bertolli shook her head. "No I'm sorry. Dan hasn't recovered consciousness yet and you need rest. I want you to go home Keri. That goes for the rest of you too. Dan has no serious injuries but the hospital want to keep him in for observation tonight. We can't tell when he will wake up. You will see him tomorrow," she promised. She glanced at her watch. "Debrief tomorrow at 1500 hours," she said.

Keri was disappointed, but tired and sore. She could see the point of what she was being told, although he still ached to see Dan. She was still trying to decide whether or not to push the point when Agent MacManus walked in holding car keys. "Right. You three with me !" she said briskly. Mutely they all obeyed. They didn't notice Agent MacManus winking at Agent Bertolli as she ushered the team out of the door.

Nobody spoke on the journey back to the safe house. The three agents walked in and dropped their kit on a table in the entrance hall. Tom sat on the floor. "That was a total disaster," he muttered.

"In every possible way," agreed Aneisha heavily.

"Almost every possible way," Keri corrected her. The other two looked at her sharply. "I'm going to bed," she said. "We'll have the post mortem tomorrow. Night," she added before disappearing into her room.

Tom sank his face into his hands. "She's right. It could have been so much worse," he mumbled miserably.

Aneisha sighed and took pity. "Come on. Let's get a hot chocolate before we go to bed," she suggested kindly.

======== ooooo =========

Dan woke with an aching body and head, groaned and looked around him. Hospital. Yeah, that figured. "Ah, back in the land of the living I see," said a quiet voice. Carefully he turned his head to see the Professor sitting beside his bed.

"What time is it ?" Dan managed to croak.

"It's about 2am," said the Professor handing Dan a cup of water.

After a couple of sips, Dan frowned. "How ?" he asked vaguely.

"Yes, well when we realised things were going pear shaped, myself and the other agents liberated a few of KORPS' weapons and applied them liberally to the opposing agents. The result was bloody but effective," the Professor said dryly.

Dan's stomach knotted, in spite of the position he was in. "Thanks," he murmured. "I guess we screwed up," he added.

"Yes," agreed the Professor. "We, as in MI9, screwed up on mission estimation. Your team was totally ineffective in the resulting situation. We will need to make a few adjustments. However, first of all you need to get a good rest so you can go home tomorrow," he added.

"I can go home ?" asked Dan in surprised.

"Yes. Miraculously you have no serious injuries," said the Professor, standing up.

"Thanks," said Dan. "Sorry you had to stay up," he added.

"What ? Oh, don't worry about that. I don't sleep so much nowadays," said the Professor. "Good Night Dan," he said. "I'll see you tomorrow."

Dan lay back on his pillow. He wondered what tomorrow would bring. What a mess ! Sighing, he decided it could wait, closed his eyes and let himself drift off to sleep.


	8. Chapter 8

**MI High is coming to an end. What is going to be the future for the team ? Is there a future for the team ? Will everyone go their separate ways or will they stay together ?**

 **Okay so it hasn't been a whole week between updates. I've been busy, so no promises for the next update.**

 **Just how bad was it ?**

 _Dan lay back on his pillow. He wondered what tomorrow would bring. What a mess ! Sighing, he decided it could wait, closed his eyes and let himself drift off to sleep._

Dan leant against the door frame of the safe house, getting his breath back. It was only a short walk from the street, but he was shattered. He pressed the entry button, but there was just an angry kind of beep. Oh what ? "Come on ! You know who it is," complained Dan. He stared at the keypad again. His right eye was a little swollen. Surely the machine could still recognise him. No. Sighing, Dan pulled out his phone and called Tom's number. "Hey Tom ! The house won't let me in. Can you open the door please ?" asked Dan grumpily.

At last the door opened, to show a concerned looking Tom. Dan hastily pushed himself off the door frame and tried to stand up straight. This only nudged his bruised ribs and made him wince involuntarily. Tom tried to help him, but Dan shook his head and walked to the lift. "Erm, this is Agent Morgan," called out Tom.

Dan was scanned and the electronic voice stated, "Agent Morgan identified. Some damage."

Dan made a small smile. Yeah, that about covered it. Some damage ! He and Tom got into the lift in silence.

"Debrief's at 3pm," said Tom nervously. "You could probably have a rest before they get here," he suggested.

Dan was going to protest, but as the lift doors opened he felt another wave of fatigue washing over him. Keri burst out of her room and walked over to him. She didn't look too hot either. Dan stared at her in concern. There was a bruise on her chin. He hated seeing her hurt. Keri wrapped her arms around Dan and hugged him gently. He responded gratefully, smelling the scent of her hair. She was Okay. Once they reluctantly let go of one another, Aneisha stepped up and gave him a much shorter hug.

"Do you want a drink ?" asked Tom.

Dan nodded. "Yeah, thanks. I think I'll go ..." he pointed to his room.

"I'll bring one for you," promised Tom, scuttling off to the kitchen.

Dan sat on his bed and stared at his shoes. He needed to take them off, but that meant leaning down, and he really couldn't face it. He was still staring at his shoes when Tom bustled in with a glass of water.

"Here drink this. I'll get your shoes off for you," said Tom. Dan was too tired to complain so he let Tom pull off his shoes. "You need to get plenty of rest," said Tom.

"I thought Aneisha was the doctor," said Dan quietly.

Tom shifted uneasily. "Yeah, well you don't need to be a doctor to see you're feeling rough," he mumbled. "Do you want me to help you with your clothes ?" he asked doubtfully.

"Nah. I'm good," said Dan. He put the glass down and rolled over on to the bed. It felt good. "Thanks," he muttered. He was asleep before Tom had closed the bedroom door.

Dan woke to someone stroking his face. He opened one eye and looked up. Keri was sitting, smiling down at him. "Hey sleepy. They're here," she said.

"Who ?" Dan whispered, before clearing his throat.

"Our supervisors. For the debrief," Keri reminded him.

"Oh yeah," Dan said, pushing himself upright on the bed. The dizziness had gone. He was starving though. "Do you think they would mind if I ate a sandwich ?" he asked her.

"Tom's made you something," said Keri. "And it's not spaghetti bolognese," she said straight-faced.

Dan laughed. "Good ! That's my dinner ! I still can't make anything else," he said. He leant across and kissed Keri on the lips.

She looked surprised, but pleased. "What was that for ?" she asked.

"That's for being you, and for, well being alive and all of that," Dan closed on a mumble.

Keri gave him a much longer kiss. "And likewise," she said softly, touching his forehead with hers.

"How bad was it ?" Dan asked quietly.

Keri sighed and frowned. "Without the supervisors, we would all be dead," she said simply.

Dan nodded. "Come on then. Let's face the music," he said, pushing himself up off the bed and leading Keri out of his room.

The four instructors were sitting across one sofa and an armchair. Dan and Keri joined Tom on the other sofa while Aneisha took the second armchair. Tom put a burger on a plate in front of Dan.

"Do you mind ?" he asked the supervisors. They shook their heads and smiled.

"Thanks Tom," said Dan. He noticed that Tom had made it just how he liked it, with nothing added. He realised just how hungry he was once he started eating and it wasn't long before he was finished. He realised then that nobody had yet spoken. "Sorry," he mumbled, polishing off the last few crumbs. "That was great Tom, thanks," he said, putting the plate back on the table.

"How are you feeling Dan ?" asked Agent Bertolli.

"Glad we're not all dead," said Dan softly.

There was a moment's silence before Agent Hunter spoke, "Well let's get started. First our analysis of the mission information," he said.

"Lousy ?" asked the Professor.

"Highly inaccurate," corrected Agent Bertolli. "We did check it and it appeared on the surface to be correct. We checked again after the mission and that was when we realised how flimsy the basis of the intel was. Poor !" she complained.

"Action ?" asked Agent Hunter.

"Double check on source and circumstance," snapped the Professor.

"Agreed," said Agent Hunter, taking notes on his laptop.

"And a bollocking to Mission Sourcing," added the Professor.

"I'll leave that to you Oz," said Agent Hunter.

"My pleasure," agreed the Professor.

"Preparation ?" asked Agent Hunter. He looked at the team and they all shuffled nervously.

"Inadequate ?" suggested Aneisha. The others nodded glumly.

"We were totally outnumbered. We should have had some sort of weapons," Dan said, looking down.

"By the time the proximity detectors went off, we were looking them in the eyes," added Keri.

"Action ?" asked Agent Hunter.

"I think I need to learn how to use a gun," said Dan very quietly.

"You all need to learn how to use a range of weapons," said the Professor calmly. "Your opponents will not hesitate."

The silence was broken after a moment by Agent McManus. "I think there should also be more active external support. We can't afford to simply monitor. We could have intervened sooner once we realised the potential number of hostiles."

"Agreed," said the Professor. Agent Hunter nodded and made a note. "So, finally, mission execution ?"

"We tried to hold them off, but there were too many," said Dan. He looked haunted.

Keri slipped her hand into his. "We were outnumbered Dan. It's not your fault," she said.

"No it wasn't Dan's fault that he was overwhelmed," said the Professor. "Keri you were able to remain upright with the assistance of Aneisha," he pointed out. There was a silence.

"Um, I think what you're trying to say is that I should have come out to help fight rather than hiding in the computer room," said Tom hoarsely.

"You were working the computer," said Dan.

"I was watching the computer working," Tom corrected him. "I didn't need to. I knew how long it was going to take. It was written on the screen. The truth is that I hid because I don't know how to fight and I was scared of what would happen if I tried to fight." Tom looked down in shame.

"Thankyou Tom," said Agent Hunter, making a note on his laptop.

"But it's not just about Tom," protested Dan.

"No it isn't Dan, but Tom needs to make a decision," said Agent Hunter. "He can either be a Field Agent and learn how to defend himself and his team mates, or he can become a back office technical agent. There is no shame in that if you don't feel able to take on the full responsibilities of a Field Agent, Tom" said Agent Hunter.

Tom looked at Dan, then Keri and Aneisha. "You could all have been killed," he said. He looked like he was ready to cry. "I can't let that happen." Aneisha reached across and squeezed Tom's hand sympathetically. Tom took a deep breath. "Right, Dan hates guns. If he's ready to learn how to use guns, then I'm going to learn how to fight. If I don't get good enough, then you make me a technical geek thingy," he said determinedly.

"Agreed," said Agent Hunter. "Training starts on Monday. You will receive your instructions," he said, snapping his laptop shut.

"Thankyou all of you for your honesty," said Agent Bertolli. "Accepting your mistakes is the first step to learning and improving. I am proud of you all for what you have decided today. Very proud," she added with a smile.

"Lovely sentiment," said the Professor. "Unfortunately I think you're boring them Bertie." He nodded at Dan whose head had slumped back and was fast asleep.

Keri looked at Dan fondly. "He's got a short attention span when he's been beaten to a pulp," she said. The Professor gave her a quick grin.

"Right, we'll leave you in peace. I would say you should get plenty of rest, but I can see some of you have already got to work on that," said Agent MacManus dryly. "We'll see you on Monday.

They left, and the room went quiet, apart from the steady, noisy breathing of Dan.

"I'm so sorry," whispered Tom.

Keri and Aneisha glanced at one another. Keri stood up and Aneisha took her place. Taking Tom's hand in hers, she spoke to him gently. "Tom, you've never been a fighter. We all know that. You're getting way out of your comfort zone and if you don't want to do this we all understand. If you want a back office job, that's fine," she told him.

"I don't," said Tom firmly. "I want to stay with you guys. You're my friends and I don't want to lose you," he said. "And Dan's hopeless with a computer. You guys need me," he said more confidently.

Dan woke up with a snort and looked around in alarm. "What ? Did I miss something ? Where'd they go ?" he asked in quick succession.

"Tom's going to learn to fight," said Aneisha proudly.

"Wow ! Great !" said Dan happily.

"And you're going to learn to use computers," added Tom.

"Oh," said Dan a lot less happily.

"Just kidding !" laughed Tom. "They didn't say anything about computers," he said.


	9. Chapter 9

**MI High is coming to an end. What is going to be the future for the team ? Is there a future for the team ? Will everyone go their separate ways or will they stay together ?**

 **Sorry there's been a gap between chapters. Been busy, blah blah etc.**

 **Training, training and more training.**

" _Tom's going to learn to fight," said Aneisha proudly._

" _Wow ! Great !" said Dan happily._

" _And you're going to learn to use computers," added Tom._

" _Oh," said Dan a lot less happily._

" _Just kidding !" laughed Tom. "They didn't say anything about computers," he said._

Two weeks later, Dan poked his head cautiously around the corner of the wall he was hiding behind. A gunshot rang out, ricocheting off some concrete nearby. Ducking quickly back, he swore softly and glanced around. He was standing amongst some derelict buildings in the dark. Some lamplight from the nearby street was bleeding into the area giving everything an eerie soft blue glow. The kidnappers still held the upper hand. Some old, rusting, metal tanks stood off to his right. He heard more shooting. The others were drawing some fire. Taking his opportunity, Dan dashed across the open space and safely into the shadows cast by the huge tanks.

He could now look across to the warehouse building without being seen. His eyes were now adjusting to the dark. Staring into the gloom of the warehouse door, he caught a movement. A pale face glinted briefly in the dim light. He glanced upwards and spotted a metal gantry suspended over the area in front of the warehouse. Looking quickly around he finally noticed the ladder leading upwards. For a second he wondered if he would be able to move quietly enough along the old metal structure. He shrugged. It would have to do. He couldn't see any other way of getting a clear shot into the building.

Placing his feet as softly as he could he climbed the ladder. It was higher than it looked from the ground. At last he reached the gantry and stepped cautiously on to the arm, hoping the metal hadn't corroded too much to support his weight. It groaned slightly as he shifted his full weight across from the ladder. So far so good. A metal chain was attached to the end of the gantry, suspending it from the top of the metal tower he had just climbed.

With his arms outstretched for balance, Dan started to walk steadily across the gantry. It creaked softly under his feet. When he risked a glance downwards, the ground appeared to be moving about. The gantry was vibrating with his movements, but so far had shown no sign of breaking. Dan hoped his luck would last. As he neared the end of the gantry, the metal started to groan alarmingly. Luckily there was more firing down on the ground which helped to disguise the noise. Deciding that he had pushed his luck enough, Dan carefully lowered himself on to his stomach, putting his arms between the metal bars and pointing his gun towards the dark entrance of the warehouse. He tried to take in the whole scene in front of him, looking for any movement.

Dan waited. Although it seemed like hours, a couple of minutes passed. Then finally, there was a flicker of movement. He focussed through the gun sight, its telescopic lens zooming in on someone's face. It was one of the kidnappers. Where was the other one ? Should he wait until he had them both in sight, or should he take the shot ? He caught a hint of movement in the corner of his eye. Now ! He took the shot. Unaware of whether or not he had hit his target, he swiftly acquired another target as someone moved to locate his position. He fired two more shots off in quick succession, his panic making him uncertain of whether or not the first shot had been successful. He paused and surveyed the scene below. Three bodies lay on the concrete. Dan sighed and rested his forehead on his arms. He'd killed them. These weren't just some random people, he reminded himself. These were genuine bad guys. These were killers and kidnappers. He had to stop them killing again. Still it was hard. Reluctantly he got up and carefully made his way back the way he had come, climbing down the rusting metal ladder and out of the gateway to the yard.

Bright lights burned Dan's unaccustomed eyes and he paused to wait for his stomach to stop heaving. Managing not to retch, he wiped the sweat off his forehead with his sleeve and headed towards the Professor who was examining a sheet of paper. "Well ?" asked Dan.

"Congratulations, you are not dead," said the Professor.

Dan leant against the wall, taking a deep breath. "And ?" he asked.

"You successfully killed both of the kidnappers, and the kidnap victim," said the Professor.

"Damn !" snapped Dan, his shoulders slumping. "Bloody disaster !" he said, running his hand through his hair.

The Professor looked at him sharply. "That is the best result we can expect on this simulation," he commented.

Dan looked up in shock. "What do you mean ?" he asked.

"This is not a simulation you are expected to succeed in," explained the Professor. "Nobody has ever managed to kill the kidnappers and free the victim unharmed," he said.

"What's the point of that ?" asked Dan.

"I'm afraid that in our line of work, nothing is black and white. Success and failure are a spectrum of results. Some results are more successful than others. We expect our agents to aim for 100% success, but you must learn to accept that in reality, few agents are able to achieve this in many cases. Celebrate those times when we are completely successful and learn to accept those occasions when we are not," instructed the Professor.

Dan tried to take this in. "Did you ?" he asked.

"Did I what ?" asked the Professor.

"Get used to the failures ?" asked Dan.

"No," admitted the Professor quietly after a pause, "I did not." He sighed and rubbed his face. "I told you I don't get a lot of sleep nowadays, didn't I ?" he asked. Dan nodded silently. "The dead do haunt you at night," said the Professor simply. Then he straightened up and tucked the paper into his jacket pocket. "Pass," he said, with a smile.

"What ?" asked Dan, shocked out of his daze.

"You have passed the simulation test," explained the Professor patiently. "We can go now. Return your weapon to the arsenal," instructed the Professor.

Dan did as he was told before picking up his rucksack and following the Professor out of the MI9 training centre. After staring into space for minutes, Dan finally took in his surroundings. They were sitting in a nearly empty underground carriage. Dan glanced across at the impassive face of his instructor. "Where are we going ?" he asked.

"We are going back to the college. You have some music practice to catch up on," said the Professor.

Dan did not feel like playing an instrument. Every time he closed his eyes, he could see three dead bodies lying on the ground. One of them was the wrong one. Giving himself a mental shake he tried to look out for the correct stop.

Dan sleepwalked behind the Professor before realising that he was standing in a small practice room with a full size drum kit. "Right, you'd better start off with something loud," suggested the Professor, squeezing two ear plugs into his ears. "Off you go," he ordered, as he sat back in a chair across the room.

Dan sat at the drumkit and pulled out his ipod. Slipping in the earpieces, he selected a random piece of music. Something loud ? Foo Fighters would have to do. As the music blasted in his ears, he found the rhythm and started to play. As he thrashed at the drums, his frustrations and anger flowed into the instrument. He played song after song, at first thrashing angrily, and then as he started to regain some control, his playing fell into synch with the music, following the loud and the soft sections. Finally he finished off with some soft syncopated latin rhythms. Sitting back on the stool, he stretched his aching body, pulled out the earpieces and looked at his watch. It was after 6pm.

"Oh ! I've gone on too long," Dan apologised.

The professor looked at him in amusement. "Exactly long enough I would say. You'd better go home. I'll see you here tomorrow. We need to catch up on some of your official studies," he said.


	10. Chapter 10

**MI High is coming to an end. What is going to be the future for the team ? Is there a future for the team ? Will everyone go their separate ways or will they stay together ?**

 **Okay, I need to clear up any confusion. Someone was concerned whether real people had been killed. The word "simulation" does appear three times in the last chapter. The people who died were not real. They were part of the simulated test taken by Dan.**

 **Thanks for the lovely reviews and especially J.4.5.M.1.N.3. Your comments are very true. I do update as often as I can but like everyone there are sometimes more important things I have to do.**

 **So, some fluff before everyone starts shooting each other again.**

 **And relax !**

 _Sitting back on the stool, he stretched his aching body, pulled out the earpieces and looked at his watch. It was after 6pm._

" _Oh ! I've gone on too long," Dan apologised._

 _The professor looked at him in amusement. "Exactly long enough I would say. You'd better go home. I'll see you here tomorrow. We need to catch up on some of your official studies," he said._

Keri looked up as Dan came in. He looked calmer than she was expecting. "Hey you ! How did the simulation go ?" she asked. Dan opened his bedroom door, flung his bag through it and closed the door.

"I passed. Apparently," he said, flopping down on the sofa next to her.

"I killed everyone when I did it," said Keri.

"Me too," said Dan. "The Prof said you're not expected to succeed."

"Yes, that's what Mac told me," said Keri. "I'm not sure what I think about that," she said.

Dan looked at her. "I didn't think very much of it. I was kind of, shocked, you know ?" he said.

"So what did you do ?" asked Keri.

"The Prof took me back to the music school and got me to beat the hell out of a drum kit," explained Dan. He laughed. "It worked too."

Keri thought about this. "I wish I could play drums," she said thoughtfully.

"You could kick the shit out of the boxing dummy," suggested Dan.

"Hm. Not a bad idea," said Keri. "Mac made me run round the park four times. I guess that has the same effect."

The door opened and Tom came in, looking exhausted. "Oh God, I hope this is worth it," he puffed, flopping into an armchair.

"So, how's the training going ?" asked Keri.

"I have kicked, thrown, punched, chopped and gouged," said Tom.

"Gouged ?" asked Dan, grimacing.

"Yeah, well that one was a bit of a last resort," admitted Tom, wincing. "Still didn't work," he added, easing a notepad out of his back pocket. "I ache, and I mean ache, everywhere !" he groaned. "Oh, and he's given me these," he said, pulling a couple of sticks out of his backpack and holding them out in front of him. There was a buzzing noise and a faint bluish glow appeared around the sticks.

"Okaaay. So what are they ?" asked Keri.

"Stun sticks," explained Tom. "They carry a high electrical charge, kind of like a taser, except you can use them lots of times and they automatically recharge. Agent Hunter thought I might find it easier to defend myself with them," he said, looking doubtfully at the sticks.

"Right," said Dan warily. "Just make sure they're not pointed at my arse alright ?" he asked.

"They scare me to death," admitted Tom, waving them gingerly in front of him. "I mean, what if I forget and stick one under my arm or something ?" he complained, before turning them off with a sigh of relief and putting them back in his bag.

The door opened and Aneisha came in. She flopped down opposite Dan and Keri. She looked round at the others. "Long day huh ?" she asked. They all nodded. Aneisha sighed and rested her head on the back of the chair. "I actually did medical training today," she said. "We're starting off with field first aid."

"That might come in handy," said Keri. "They've given Tom a weapon," she said.

"Worse still, they've given one to me," said Dan, slumped down on the sofa.

"Did you die again ?" asked Aneisha sympathetically.

"No, but everyone else did," said Dan glumly. He started to giggle. "That's not funny," he said, but couldn't stop giggling. "I mean, I climbed a damned rusty metal tower, tip-toed across a rotting metal girder 10 metres in the air, and then I shot everybody, including the victim !" he said, laughing hysterically.

"I spent half an hour crawling across the ground on my belly, and then shot the wrong people," said Keri, before she too was howling with laughter. "The safety of the nation is in good hands !" she spat out between laughs. By now, Tom and Aneisha were laughing with them.

Once the laughter had died down, Tom said, "I can't be bothered to cook. How about pizza ?" There was a chorus of agreement and Dan was dispatched on the motorbike with Keri on the back to fetch pizza for the team.

After their meal, Aneisha got up saying she had preparation to do for the next day's lessons. Tom agreed and they both went to their rooms. Dan and Keri filled the dishwasher. Dan was humming a tune. "What are you humming ?" asked Keri.

"That ? Oh, I have to perform a piece at the end of the month on my main instrument. Everyone has to do it. It's part of the assessment process," explained Dan.

"Can I hear it ?" asked Keri. Dan took her to his room. It looked like a bomb had gone off. There were clothes everywhere. Dan quickly dashed round the room, tossing the clothes into a pile near the door.

"I'll stick the laundry on after," promised Dan. "I ran out of tops two days ago."

"How did you get anything to wear today then ?" asked Keri.

"I showered with my clothes on last night," explained Dan.

Keri stared at him in disbelief and laughed out loud. "You didn't !" she yelped.

"Yeah. Had to improvise didn't I ?" said Dan. He pulled out his guitar. "So do you want to hear the music or do you want to talk dirty laundry ?" he asked with a grin.

Keri smiled back. "Hmmmm," she said, putting a finger to her lips. "Let me think about that."

Dan laughed and started to play. He softly played a Spanish melody, which grew louder and louder until he was strumming and tapping the side of the guitar with his hand. Keri watched in. amazement. She had never seen Dan playing classical guitar music before. When he finished she clapped enthusiastically.

"Wow ! I mean, wow !" she said, too stunned to think of anything else to say.

Dan looked pleased and shy at the same time. "Was it alright ?" he asked.

"Dan ! It was fantastic !" said Keri. How could he not know ? "I didn't even know you could do that !" she said. "Why do you hide these things ?" she asked him gently. "You've got real talents Dan, you just never seem to share them with people," she said.

Dan looked at her fondly. "Well I don't like to. I just like sharing them with you," he said softly.

Keri stared at him. He could not possibly have said anything more adorable ! She felt like screaming. Maybe not a good idea. Ooooh ! Keri leant across the bed and kissed Dan on the lips. Yeah, that was good. Dan wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into a much longer kiss. Keri pushed the guitar neck out of the way and wrapped herself around Dan.

They both rolled on the bed, kissing, their hands exploring one another's bodies, before Dan pulled back and looked at her smiling. "I should get the guitar out more often, if this is what I get," he said.

"You don't get that guitar out for ANY OTHER GIRL !" warned Keri, wagging a finger at him. Dan laughed and saluted her. "And I'm armed and dangerous !" warned Keri. "Mainly to myself and those closest to me," she admitted wistfully.

Dan laughed. "God, I love you Keri Summers," he said, pulling the delighted girl in close for another long, lingering kiss.


	11. Chapter 11

**MI High is coming to an end. What is going to be the future for the team ? Is there a future for the team ? Will everyone go their separate ways or will they stay together ?**

 **Thankyou everyone for your patience. I've finally managed to finish the next chapter. I hope somebody else is writing :)**

 **Complications and new missions.**

" _You don't get that guitar out for ANY OTHER GIRL !" warned Keri, wagging a finger at him. Dan laughed and saluted her. "And I'm armed and dangerous !" warned Keri. "Mainly to myself and those closest to me," she admitted wistfully._

 _Dan laughed. "God, I love you Keri Summers," he said, pulling the delighted girl in close for another long, lingering kiss._

Dan sat alone in the music college cafe, slowly stirring a cup of coffee and running his guitar assessment piece through his head for the twentieth time. Absentmindedly, he reversed the direction of his stirring, head resting on his other hand.

"Hey !" said a voice. "I thought I must have just dreamt you, but it seems you actually exist !"

Dan looked up. "Hey, double bass girl !" he said, smiling. Then he took in her words and frowned. "What do you mean ?" he asked.

"Like, you're never around," said the girl. "Either you're shut away with that weird Professor guy who never seems to teach anyone else, or you're just nowhere," she said shrugging. "Laura, by the way," she added.

"Hi Laura," said Dan, hoping to avoid her questions. "Dan," he added, waving to the spare chair at the table.

Laura sat down. "So what's your major Dan ?" she asked.

"Guitar," said Dan. "Drums are my second. What about you ?"

"Double bass major, obviously, and clarinet second," said Laura. "Hey, we could form a rhythm section. There's bound to be a band forming," she said excitedly.

"I guess," said Dan, sounding non-commital.

"I can tell you're excited by the idea," said Laura sarcastically.

"Yeah, well, you know ! Got to get through the syllabus," said Dan. There was no way he could commit to any extra activities. He quickly downed his coffee. "Sorry, got to go," he said, getting up. "See you around Laura."

"Yeah, see you mystery guy," muttered Laura, curiously watching Dan's hastily retreating back.

=========== xxxx ===========

Later that evening, Tom nervously waited with Agent Hunter in a cafe opposite a high street technology store. They were each wearing invisible ear pieces relaying information from the rest of the team. Agent Hunter was staring at a specially adapted smart phone. He was watching a red dot travelling across a map of the city. "Dan's nearly there," muttered Agent Hunter. "You should start the system up ready," he said to Tom.

Tom pulled out a tablet-like device, powered it up and started the app they were using. He nodded to Agent Hunter once it was running. A strongly coloured red dot appeared on the screen. Tom glanced out of the window when he heard the sound of a motorbike coming down the street. The bike pulled up outside the shop opposite and the rider dismounted, pulling a package from his jacket pocket. The rider pulled off his helmet to reveal Dan, with his hair dyed dark brown. After casually looking around him Dan entered the shop. Tom glanced at his screen. "I've still got it," he told Agent Hunter.

"Let's go," said Agent Hunter. They both got up, left the cafe, and crossed the street. They walked through the shop, which was still busy, even in the early evening. They passed Dan on his way back, but he didn't acknowledge seeing them, walking straight back out of the shop.

"Big black guy next to the hi fi section," said Dan's voice quietly in their earpieces.

Tom and Agent Hunter headed in the direction Dan had given them. On reaching the hi fi section, the two agents started looking at the speakers on offer, discussing their various features. Tom watched as the red dot on his screen started to move. Agent Hunter used his smart phone as a mirror to watch the shop assistant Dan had told them about glance around him before tapping a key code out and quickly stepping through a door at the back of the shop.

"4, 8, 1, 6," said Agent Hunter. "Let's go."

"Wait," said Tom, staring at his tablet. "He's not moving," he warned. The red dot had stopped behind the door. After what seemed like and age, the dot started to move again. "He's moving," whispered Tom. "It looks like he's heading towards the goods area at the back of the store." Nervously he followed Agent Hunter towards the back of the shop. They each checked to see that they weren't being watched. Tom used his phone to send out a signal which would screen interference on the shop's CCTV cameras for 10 seconds. Agent Hunter keyed in the code and the two agents quickly stepped through the door.

"We're clear," murmured Agent Hunter. "Following target," he added, as he and Tom moved quickly and quietly through the building, following Tom's dot on the screen. Hearing voices, they ducked into a doorway to a store cupboard, pushing the door to nearly closed.

"How do you know it's the right one ?" asked an angry voice. "It's not what I expected."

"The courier brought it at the delivery time. What else would it be ?" asked another voice. "Stop being so antsy. The guys at base will deal with it. It's not our problem any more alright ?" they snapped.

"I don't like it," muttered the first voice.

"Yeah, well, don't like somewhere else. I've got to get back into the shop or the manager will have my guts," said the other man. The two men walked past the door.

Tom and Agent Hunter glanced at one another. "Where is it now ?" asked Agent Hunter.

Tom showed him the screen. "It's stopped. Looks like it's at the back of the shop. They must be waiting for someone to pick it up," suggested Tom.

Agent Hunter nodded. "Did you hear that ?" asked Agent Hunter.

"Got it," said Dan's voice. "I'm in position. Waiting instruction."

"Good, we'll get out. See you in the van," said Agent Hunter. Tom breathed a sigh of relief. He wasn't going to have to fight after all. In a matter of minutes they were climbing into the back of a large white van parked in a side street nearby. "How are they doing ?" asked Agent Hunter.

"I don't think they'll be able to hold him much longer," said Agent Bertolli. "He's getting anxious."

====== xxx ======

Aneisha and Agent MacManus were wearing police uniform. They and Professor Attmeyer had set up a police road block and were randomly stopping vehicles for safety checks. Of course, they hadn't stopped many vehicles and their interest in one motorcycle courier was not at all random. He was getting increasingly impatient as he waited behind a van driver whose vehicle was being examined meticulously by the Professor. The courier checked his watch again. "Can we hurry it up a bit please ? I'm really late for a delivery now. They are not going to be happy," he said.

"Nobody is happy when a vehicle is defective or unsafe Sir," said Aneisha calmly. "Our colleague will be finished shortly."

Agent MacManus cleared her throat and the Professor stood up from his examination of the wheel arches of the van. "That looks alright Sir," he said. "Thankyou for your time Sir. Goodnight !" he added, as the van driver thankfully got back into his van and drove off, well within the speed limit.

The Professor walked up to the motorcycle. "Busy night Sir ?" asked the Professor politely.

"Yes. Please, just get on with it," groaned the courier. "They are so going to kill me," he added, wincing. The man was hopping from foot to foot as the Professor started a methodical study of the bike. Unable to keep it up any longer, he handed the courier a sheet of paper.

"That all looks to be in order Sir," said the Professor. "Thankyou for your ….." he was saying as the courier leapt on his bike, revved the engine and roared off into the night. "Time," said the Professor finally. "Have you got it Mac ?" he asked.

"Yes," said Agent MacManus, holding a small metal box in her hands. "Safe and sound. I hope he doesn't get there before our one leaves the building," she added. "Come on Aneisha. You've done your bit for the night." The three agents quickly took down their fake police checkpoint, loaded it into a van and drove off.

"We couldn't hold him any longer. Sorry," said Aneisha into her hidden microphone.

"Understood," said Agent Bertolli's voice. "Return to base."

Dan stood by his motorbike, arms folded. When he was younger this wait would have sent him into a frenzy of nervous energy. Now he had learned to control his impatience better and save his energy for when it was needed. Well, mostly. He still tapped out a continuous rhythm on the leather saddle of the bike with his right hand. It was one of the practice pieces for his drum assessment. There was no point wasting energy.

"They've come to collect it," said Agent Bertolli's voice in his ear. "You're on Dan." Dan shoved his helmet back on and mounted the bike. "Now remember Dan. You don't need to keep eye contact with the vehicle. You are just our backup in case we lose the trace for any reason. Do not approach the KORPS base under any circumstances. Understood ?"

"Got it," agreed Dan, firing up the bike. Game on !


	12. Chapter 12

**MI High has come to an end. The team has to move into mainstream MI9 and become a team of adult agents. Will they all make the grade ? Can they become the spies they want to be ?**

 **The good guys.**

" _You're on Dan." Dan shoved his helmet back on and mounted the bike. "Now remember Dan. You don't need to keep eye contact with the vehicle. You are just our backup in case we lose the trace for any reason. Do not approach the KORPS base under any circumstances. Understood ?"_

" _Got it," agreed Dan, firing up the bike. Game on !_

Dan felt the raw power of the motorbike running through his whole body. He couldn't lie. It was the most amazing feeling. He longed to let the full power of the machine rip and tear through the streets at speed, but knew that this would be irresponsible. The streets were crowded with people and other vehicles. Also, the whole point of being a spy was not to draw attention to yourself. He wouldn't look too clever getting a speeding ticket from the police mid-mission.

"Take the next right. They're moving East," said Mac's voice in his ear. They had started using the older agents' nicknames without really realising it. Luckily they didn't seem to mind. Dan did as instructed, keeping his eyes open for anything which might hold him up. He wasn't supposed to be seen by the KORPS drivers, but at the same time, he wasn't supposed to lose them either. The van with the rest of the team was following at a much greater distance behind. It was harder to manoeuvre through the crowded streets and was obviously easier to spot.

"They've stopped," said Mac suddenly. "Slow down a bit. They might be at traffic lights," she added.

"There aren't any traffic lights there," came Tom's voice.

"Could be roadworks," suggested Keri's voice.

"Why don't I just go and have a look," said Dan with a sigh. "I won't get too close," he promised. There were no objections, so he slowly took the bike closer to the target. After turning a corner he found himself in a quiet side street. The KORPS van had stopped in the middle of the road and its rear doors were wide open. Someone was leaning in at the driver's side window. Dan couldn't see their face. Curious, he stopped the bike and pushed it on to it's rest bar. "Everything alright ?" he asked as he walked up to the KORPS van, lifting the visor on his helmet so he could see better. He heard footsteps behind him and spun around, sensing a trap. There was nobody there.

"Sorry mate," said a voice from the van. Dan whipped back round in time to see a spray can which released a spray of vapour into his face. He staggered backwards, feeling groggy and faint, before everything went dark.

"Dan ! Dan, can you hear me ?" demanded a worried voice over Dan's communications. There was no answer.

A flurry of activity broke out in the mission van. The others had been watching activities through Dan's head camera. The image was blurred by the spray on the camera lens. They could make out a figure, possibly wearing a mask, holding the spray can. As the camera pointed up into the sky, they saw the same figure being joined by another. "He alright ?" asked a woman's voice.

"Should be. The anaesthetic should wear off later," said the man.

"How much did you use ?" asked the woman.

"Don't know really," admitted the man. "I gave it about three seconds like Artie said. Come on. We need to get out of here. Those KORPS bastards could have reinforcements coming anytime soon. Have you got the device ?" he asked.

"Yep. Got it. Let's go," said the woman. They both disappeared from view.

"We need to get Dan, quickly," said Mac. "Step on it Abe," she said. The van immediately speeded up.

The team reluctantly left Dr. Bertolli to check on Dan while they checked out the KORPS van. Two KORPS agents were sitting slumped inside the van. One was dribbling out of the corner of his mouth. "Nice !" muttered Keri.

"It's empty. The device has gone," reported Agent Hunter. "It's still on my tracer though," he said, checking his tracking application. "Oh," he said glumly.

Tom leaned over his shoulder. "It's not there," he said curiously.

"Not now it isn't. Looks like someone disabled the tracking device," said Agent Hunter glumly.

"Where did you last see it ?" asked Agent MacManus, pulling on Dan's motorcycle helmet.

Agent Hunter showed her on the screen and she nodded, before roaring off on the motorcycle.

"He's fast asleep," called out Dr. Bertolli. "Help me load him into the van. The police will be here soon. I'd rather not be around," she said.

The others all gathered round and once again man-handled Dan into the MI9 van.

"I think he's getting heavier," grunted Tom, trying to lower Dan gently on to the floor of the van, and not just heave him in like a sack of potatoes.

Agent Hunter pulled a stretcher down from its storage place on the roof of the van and they strapped Dan onto it. "Let's go !" called out Agent Hunter, and they drove off, to the distant sound of sirens.

The Professor spoke into the comms. "Any joy Mac ?" he asked.

"No. They're long gone," said a frustrated Agent MacManus. "I'll see you back at base," she added.

Agent MacManus didn't see the people watching her speed away. "Who the hell was that ?" asked a young woman.

"I'm pretty sure that's the same bike that stopped behind us," said a man.

"Well, that was definitely a woman rider. It was a guy who stopped behind the van," said the young woman. "Seemed kind of familiar," she said quietly, rubbing her chin. "Not typical KORPS," she added.

"Well, we got the device which is all that matters. KORPS won't be able to detonate all the nuclear bombs in the country now," said another young man, tossing the device from hand to hand. "And pretty good tracker disablement if I do say so myself !" he said, congratulating himself.

"Yeah, you'll have to say it yourself, because we're not going to," said the man sarcastically.

"Aw come on !" complained their companion, still grinning. "It went like clockwork didn't it ? The anaesthetic worked. Nobody died. What more do you want ?" he asked.

"Okay clever-clogs. It worked. Let's get home. I've got homework," said the young woman.

The three of them squeezed into a tiny beaten up car and their geeky friend started up the engine with a roar. "Man, I need to get a new exhaust !" he complained.

"Guys, if we are going into this whole vigilante superhero thing full time, we seriously have to get a better car !" moaned the young woman. "Who's going to take us seriously in this rust bucket ?"

"Yeah, well if you've got the cash Laura, you go right ahead !" said the geeky guy.

She leant back in her seat. "Yeah I know Artie, but it's hard to look threatening after you've got out of the back seat of a Fiat 500. I even have to wait for Mike to fold down the front seat so I can get out."

"You can sit in the front if you want," offered Mike.

"Okay, guys ! Look, we got the smarts. We can operate under the radar if we keep it simple," said Artie. "Trust me guys. We can accomplish just as much as all the government's secret agents if we just use our heads," he promised. He started off and the car stalled, grinding to a halt just as quickly as it had started. "Um, just give me a minute," he muttered.


	13. Chapter 13

**MI High has come to an end. The team has to move into mainstream MI9 and become a team of adult agents. Will they all make the grade ? Can they become the spies they want to be ?**

 **Sorry it's a bit late guys. Got a lot on at the moment.**

 **Find that (fake) detonator.**

" _Okay, guys ! Look, we got the smarts. We can operate under the radar if we keep it simple," said Artie. "Trust me guys. We can accomplish just as much as all the government's secret agents if we just use our heads," he promised. He started off and the car stalled, grinding to a halt just as quickly as it had started. "Um, just give me a minute," he muttered._

A day later, Dan was sitting slumped on the sofa, listening to the argument raging around him. It was still a struggle to stay awake, but the level of shouting going on was achieving the necessary result.

"These are rogues ! We need to find them and put them out of business before they cause serious damage to our operations !" shouted Mac. "They could have killed Dan," she snapped.

"But they didn't," interjected Dan quietly.

"You don't know about anaesthetics," snapped Bertie. "Any miscalculation with the dose and you might never have woken up !"

"Well, at least we know they're not KORPS," pointed out Aneisha.

"How do you know ? They could be rogue agents," said Mac.

"Because they didn't kill me," said Dan, sounding irritated. "KORPS would have just shot me dead. They don't care who they kill. These people went to a lot of trouble not to kill me," he added.

There was a moment's silence before Mac spoke. "Yes, you're right," she said.

"Why can't we do that ?" asked Dan, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Do what ?" asked Mac.

"Use anaesthetic instead of shooting people," explained Dan.

Bertie sighed, "Because you can't be sure of the dose. Even if you manage to make an even spray of the stuff, you can't easily measure how much you are spraying into someone's lungs. That was an inhaled anaesthetic, but you absorbed most of it through your skin. Also, they were standing a couple of feet away from you. If you were up against KORPS agents, they would have shot you dead long before you got close enough to use the spray," she pointed out.

"Why not inject it then ?" asked Aneisha, sitting forward in interest. Everyone looked at her. "If you inject, you can control the dose more easily. Also you could fire a dart from a gun. We used to have sleep darts didn't we ?" she asked, looking around at the older agents.

There was silence for a minute. "You have a point," agreed the Professor. "Why did we stop using them ?"

"The difficulty in calculating the dose for different body sizes and getting an anaesthetic which acted quickly enough," said Bertie, folding her arms and sitting back on the sofa. "There was this one guy the agents tackled who wasn't susceptible. It was like trying to fell an elephant. They used five darts to knock him out."

"Haven't things moved on a bit since then ?" asked Aneisha. "Couldn't we develop a better sleep dart ? I know I'd rather put someone to sleep than kill them," she added. Dan, Keri and Tom all nodded.

Bertie looked at the other older agents. "Well it wouldn't hurt to try," said Abe. "What about it Bertie ?" he asked.

Bertie looked at Aneisha. "Well, I suppose. It would make a good project for your next assignment," she said with a glint in her eye.

Aneisha grinned. "Challenge accepted Doctor !" she said.

"Sooooo," Tom interjected. "What's happening about the fake detonator ?"

"Well, we've lost it basically," said Abe, sounding annoyed. "Another wasted effort !"

"Soooo, what will KORPS do now ?" asked Tom. "They still think it's real. In fact, they think someone's stolen it from them don't they ?" he asked. "Will they come after us ?" he asked.

"No, they had a camera on their van, probably to track their own agents because they don't trust anyone," explained Abe. "I made sure I deleted any footage of us arriving on the scene !" he said. "They won't know anything about us being involved. I didn't want them getting suspicious about MI9 involvement," he said, leaning back in his chair and folding his arms.

"What about the other people, the ones who stole the detonator ?" asked Dan with a frown.

"Oh, they're still on the footage," said Abe.

"So, KORPS will have seen them and know they've stolen the detonator," said Dan thoughtfully. "KORPS still think it's a real detonator, so they'll go after it," he continued.

"So they're in danger," finished Keri, glancing at Dan. He nodded.

"These people ruined our whole mission !" complained Abe angrily.

"Yes, but they don't know that. They think they've thwarted an evil organisation from getting their hands on a weapon of mass destruction," pointed out Dan. "And, let's face it, they weren't too shabby."

"Lucky, I think," said Abe grumpily.

Dan noticed a slight smile on the Professor's lips. "We really don't need vigilantes messing up our missions though Dan," said the Professor reasonably.

"No," Dan agreed. "But MI9 has taken on vigilantes before," he said.

"Oh, you mean the Free Runner people," said Mac. "Yes, they do serve a purpose," she agreed. "We know nothing about these people and their motivations though," she pointed out.

"Maybe we should find out then," suggested Dan, "before KORPS do."

"Dan's right. We can't find the KORPS base until we get them to take the detonator there. We won't find the detonator until we find the vigilantes. We can't get the mission back on track until we find the detonator," said Keri, ticking points off on her fingers. "So ..." she trailed off, checking back through her outstretched fingers, "Erm".

"So we have to find the vigilantes," Tom finished for her.

Keri smiled at him gratefully. "How are we going to do that exactly ?" she asked. "We know nothing about them do we ?" she asked.

"We know there are at least three of them," said Aneisha. "There were two on video and they mentioned someone else. It's not exactly a huge outfit then," she said thoughtfully.

"Typical amateur group," said Abe dismissively. "Makes them nearly impossible to find though," he admitted.

"So, I guess we need to get them to come to us," said Dan, yawning and rubbing his hand through his hair. "We need some bait. Any ideas ?" he asked.

The Professor looked at him. "Since you ask ..." he said, with a wicked grin.


	14. Chapter 14

**MI High has come to an end. The team has to move into mainstream MI9 and become a team of adult agents. Will they all make the grade ? Can they become the spies they want to be ?**

 **I know it's been ages, and I'm sorry. I got hopelessly stuck with where to go next.**

 **Awkward conversations.**

" _Typical amateur group," said Abe dismissively. "Makes them nearly impossible to find though," he admitted._

" _So, I guess we need to get them to come to us," said Dan, yawning and rubbing his hand through his hair. "We need some bait. Any ideas ?" he asked._

 _The Professor looked at him. "Since you ask ..." he said, with a wicked grin._

On Monday morning Dan bounded up the steps to the music school, guitar case in hand. Their assessment was that evening and the Professor had told Dan to invite Keri to watch him. Dan had complained that this was only going to make him more nervous, but the Professor had insisted. He had refused to explain why, just giving that enigmatic smile he had. As he shot through the swinging doors, Dan nearly collided with a large music case.

"Hey ! Take it easy ! You're not in some race you know !" complained a familiar voice.

Dan reached out and grabbed the large double bass case before it toppled to the ground. He lifted it bodily off the floor and reset it back on its flat base. "Sorry about that. You alright now ?" he asked Laura. She looked at him in puzzlement and nodded. "I guess I'll see you at the assessment," he said, smiling and setting off for his first lesson.

"See you, surprisingly strong, mystery guy," said Laura quietly, watching Dan's retreating back once again. She felt someone watching her and glanced round only to see the Professor's back also disappearing down a corridor. Those two always seemed to be together. It was seriously weird. Laura pulled out her phone as she man-handled her double bass through the building to her rehearsal room. "Hi Artie, it's Laura," she said into her phone. "There's this guy at school ….. what ….. no, it's not that, it's just he's kind of unusual," she said. Artie asked her a question. "Well, what I mean is, he's really strong, extremely fit and I was wondering, you know, maybe we could do with an extra person. What do you say ?" she asked. "No I do not fancy him !" she complained. "What kind of question is that ?" she demanded, going bright red. "No, that is not what I meant by 'fit' !" she objected. "Artie ! We can't choose the size of the team according to the size of your car !" she complained. "Well, I suppose he could sit in the back with me," she admitted. "Well, why don't you come and see him for yourself ?" she suggested. "See what you think. It's assessment night. You could come and see me play," she said. "Yeah, course. See ya later Artie !" she said, closing the call. Yeah ! The team was coming together !

Dan's mind was on music practice. The Professor made him work through his technical piece which had to be played just to the teaching panel in the afternoon, then he ran through the performance piece for the evening. He tidied up his music, and looked up at his mentor. "Do you eat here Professor ?" he asked, suddenly wondering why he never saw the man outside of his lessons.

"Me ? No, I learned many years ago not to fraternise. The fewer people I have contact with, the fewer lies I have to remember," said the Professor. "You don't mix with the other students do you ?" he asked casually.

"No," said Dan quickly. "Well, there is this girl who keeps turning up," he said, obviously at a loss. "I don't know why," he added.

The Professor smiled to himself. The tall, blond, blue-eyed young man across the room really had no idea why girls followed him around. "Well, I think Keri should be able to solve that problem for you," he said quietly.

"Really ?" asked Dan, in confusion. He sighed. "It's harder than it was at school. Everything there was organised so we didn't draw attention to ourselves. I thought it would be easier in London. Nobody pays attention to anyone here," he said. "I don't want to draw attention to myself, but I don't want to look like a secret axe murderer either," he added dryly.

The Professor chuckled. "Yes, the age old dilemma of the secret agent," he agreed. "The secret is to be pleasant without creating a connection with people." Dan looked sceptical. The Professor sighed. First he had to shake off this girl who was clearly developing some sort of crush on the boy. Then they could start on his plan to draw out the mystery group who had taken the fake detonator. One thing at a time !

====== xxx ========

Keri arrived at the music school at the time Dan had told her. She followed a stream of people heading into the building. Without really thinking about it, she checked out the different individuals in the crowd. Hm, middle aged couple. Parents, bound to be parents. Couple of student types. Friends. And then that guy. The guy with the big hair and glasses. He reminded her so much of Tom, only more outgoing. He was slouching along in the line with his hands in his pockets, whistling quietly to himself. "Hi !" said Keri brightly.

The guy in question jumped. "Oh, uh Hi !" he said nervously. Wow, this seriously pretty chick with gorgeous red hair was saying Hi to him ? Seriously, had hell frozen over ?

"You come to see a friend play ?" Keri asked him in a friendly manner.

"Um, yeah. Laura. Do you know her ?" Artie asked Keri.

"Does she play double bass ?" Keri asked uncertainly.

"Yeah, that's her," said Artie with a grin.

"Yeah, Dan mentioned her. He kicked her bass over running past or something," said Keri. She laughed. "Typical Dan. Never walk when you can run," she said. "Keri," she said, holding out her hand.

"Um, Artie," said Artie shaking Keri's hand. "Nice to meet you."

The two found seats in a small theatre. A woman walked to the front of the stage holding some papers. "Thankyou for coming everyone. We'll get started in one minute. Each student has completed their technical assessment this afternoon. You are here to see the performance assessment. Each student will be called in turn. Feel free to clap if you want to, but please wait until the end of the performance," she instructed the audience.

One at a time, each student's name was called out and a new nervous face would appear in the lights. There were violins, guitars, flutes and they were all good. Keri was starting to get nervous now. She knew Dan was good but was he as good as all these people ? They were great. "Aren't they good ?" she whispered to Artie.

Artie nodded and smiled. What did he care ? He was sitting next to a gorgeous red-head and she was whispering in his ear. Life couldn't get any better. Laura's name was called out. "Oh, here she is," he said, sitting forward in his seat.

Laura stepped out on to the stage hauling her double bass under her arm. She set up and started playing a jazz set, accompanied by a pianist. When she finished everyone clapped loudly. "She's really good too," said Keri to Artie. He nodded his agreement. She was pretty cool !

Next came Dan. He walked out on stage looking really nervous. He sat on a stool, holding his guitar in his hands and started to play. After a minute Keri let out the breath she hadn't realised she had been holding. It was beautiful ! The music rolled around the room and she could almost smell the sunshine and sweet smells of Spain. Hands clasped in front of her she listened in pure pleasure to the boy who never believed in himself making a beautiful noise.

Artie glanced across at Keri and saw the lovestruck expression on her face. His heart felt that all too familiar drop to the floor. Damn ! He looked at Dan on the stage and back to Keri. Where did these guys come from ? Where did all these tall, handsome, strong, talented guys come from who got all the hot girls ? Why was it every girl Artie fell for had already got some hot guy hanging around ? Life was not fair ! How come no girl ever said, "Wow ! You're really good with computers !" or, "I bet you could complete a Rubik's cube in like, seconds !" Nope, no girl ever said that to Artie. He sighed in defeat.

Keri noticed none of this. When Dan stopped playing she clapped frantically and loudly. Dan must have heard her because he glanced up into the audience and smiled goofily. Keri realised everyone was staring at her and stopped clapping, trying to disappear into the back of her seat. "Too enthusiastic huh ?" she whispered to Artie.

"I think everyone got that you liked him, I mean, the music," said Artie, correcting himself with a sigh. Some guys had all the luck !

Keri and Artie hung around at the end, waiting for Laura and Dan. Artie wanted to know who this mystery guy was that Laura wanted him to meet. Keri was just hopping about waiting for Dan. She saw Dan coming through the door and hopped up to him, flinging her arms around his neck and kissing him full on the lips. "Wow ! That was fantastic !" she then thrilled, hopping up and down.

Dan grinned in part pleasure and part embarrassment. "Thanks. You were clapping pretty hard," he said, smiling and looking at the floor. "Thanks for coming." He looked up and noticed that Laura was jerking her head towards him. A guy standing behind Keri looked first confused and then horrified. He was pulling faces and mouthing words at her. Reluctantly pulling out of Keri's embrace, Dan waved to Laura who immediately froze into an unconvincing smile. "This is Laura. I think I mentioned her," said Dan.

"Oh, Hi Laura," said Keri in a friendly fashion. "Artie and I got talking on the way in. I realised it must be you when you played," she said. "You were great too," she added.

"Oh, um thanks," said Laura. "Erm, me and Artie were wondering if Dan might like to, kind of, join our group," she said tentatively.

"Oh, I don't think so," said Dan, backing up slightly. "I don't really have the time for playing outside school," he said doubtfully. "Got a lot of, erm, stuff, you know," he mumbled.

"Yeah, like I think him and Keri are pretty BUSY, you know," said Artie meaningfully.

"Oh, yeah, I mean no. It's not that kind of group. It's more like, active," said Laura, encouragingly. She couldn't understand why Artie was being so negative. He was not helping. "Lots of exercise, and helping people. That kind of thing," she said vaguely.

"Oh, that sounds great," said Keri. "We already participate in a kind of activity based, erm, thing," she said realising she was digging a huge hole for herself. She looked at Dan in panic, wondering how to get themselves out of this situation. She had assumed that Laura fancied Dan and the Professor had just wanted her to come along and put the other girl off by acting like his girlfriend. Maybe she was just keen to get a good guitarist in her band after all.

"Are you in the band too Artie ?" Keri asked him.

"Oh, yeah. Not really on the active side though. I'm more kind of support team," said Artie vaguely.

"Oh, like a roadie !" said Keri cheerfully.

"Um, yeah, pretty much," agreed Artie reluctantly. That had to be the most depressing description possible of his role in the team.

There was a long awkward silence. "Well, I guess we'd better get back," said Dan. "Nice meeting you Artie," he said.

"Yeah, you too Dan," said Artie. It was getting harder to hate him. Dan seemed pretty Okay really.

After Dan and Keri had gone, Laura turned on Artie. "What's with you ? Why so negative ?"

"Are you kidding me ?" demanded Artie, crossing his arms defensively. "Those two are like totally into each other. No way are you getting into that guy's pants !"

"What ? I am not trying to get into his pants ! I just want to recruit him !" hissed Laura angrily.

"Well, you aren't going to do that without telling him what we do," pointed out Artie. "That had to be the weirdest conversation I ever heard," he complained, then started mimicking her, gushing, "I've got this kind of group thing. It's like active and we do stuff, with people. Yeah, that really says secret agent to me Laura !"

"Well, I tried !" complained Laura, but realising he was right. This was going to be a lot more complicated than she had realised.

"Come on. I'm hungry. Let's get some pizza," said Artie.

"Okay," Laura sighed. "Can you give me a hand with the bass ?" she asked quietly.

Artie sighed theatrically. "Like couldn't you have done triangle or something ?" he asked, grabbing a handle on the case and hauling it along.

"Ha, bloody ha !" complained Laura as she followed him.


	15. Chapter 15

**MI High has come to an end. The team has to move into mainstream MI9 and become a team of adult agents. Will they all make the grade ? Can they become the spies they want to be ?**

 **The reason I've updated so quickly is that I have a stinking cold and can't be bothered to do anything else. Hope you like !**

 **The best laid plans ….**

" _Come on. I'm hungry. Let's get some pizza," said Artie._

" _Okay," Laura sighed. "Can you give me a hand with the bass ?" she asked quietly._

 _Artie sighed theatrically. "Like couldn't you have done triangle or something ?" he asked, grabbing a handle on the case and hauling it along._

" _Ha, bloody ha !" complained Laura as she followed him._

Several days later, Tom was sitting in an anonymous van, wearing headphones and tapping on his computer. So far so totally normal. This time, he was on his own. "Okay guys, the breadcrumbs are out. Let's sit and wait for the pigeons !" proclaimed Tom. There was a sound of groaning over his headphones. "Are you picking up any chatter Abe ?" asked Tom of Professor Hunter. He had completely given up using his mentor's proper name and joined in with his mentor's colleagues.

"Nope, not a sausage," reported Abe. "Weird really. You'd think they would be communicating if they were coming."

"Should we go anyway ?" asked Aneisha. She and Keri were sitting in a car waiting for instructions to go. They were wearing black overalls emblazoned with a large red 'K'. "I can't believe how cheesy these uniforms are," she whispered to Keri.

"Yeah, tell me about it !" huffed Keri, annoyed with the totally unfashionable look of their fake KORPS outfits. "I look like a creepy KitKat advert."

"Okay, we're not picking up any chat between the vigilantes," said Tom's voice in their earpieces. "If they've got half a brain they'll follow our trail so I think you'd better get going," he instructed. "You too Dan. Don't go too fast," he added hastily.

"Tom, I'm in the middle of a crowded city. I won't be going too fast !" complained Dan. He put on his helmet, checked the panniers fixed to the back of his bike and fired up the engine. "I'm off," he said, pulling carefully out into the traffic.

"Secret Courier, repeat, Secret Courier, what is your position ?" asked Tom's voice in Dan's ear.

Secret Courier ? Please ! How corny could this get ? "This is Secret Courier," said Dan sarcastically, "Passing Alexandra Palace. Heading up towards Muswell Hill," he added. He wondered if they'd painted a big "S" on the back of his jacket just to point out how "Secret" he was. The whole reporting your position business was pointless. He was wearing a tracker. Tom had insisted they create some radio chatter so that the vigilantes wouldn't have any difficulty in locating him and stealing the supposedly top secret device he was carrying. Strictly speaking, it was a secret device, but it's only secret was that it wasn't what it pretended to be. The whole scenario had been set up to draw out the vigilantes so they could track them to their base and recover the missing fake detonator. Dan wondered briefly how much fake equipment had to be piling up in someone's garage.

"KORPS base, we are on intercept course. Rendezvous with the Secret Courier in 2 minutes. Can't wait to steal that top-secret weapon !" reported Keri's voice over the radio. She cut off suddenly. Dan guessed she was probably laughing at the dialogue she had been given. He was right. Keri and Aneisha were creased up, waiting at some traffic lights.

"Keri !" protested Aneisha. "Top-secret weapon ! Aw, come on !" she said, bursting out laughing again. "Ooh, the lights are changing. Quick !"

Keri snapped back to reality and put her foot down, roaring away from the lights with a screeching of tyres. "Okay, not strictly necessary, but I like to keep in character," Keri explained to Aneisha who had been pressed back into her seat by the sudden acceleration. "I think that was a suitably evil KORPSy car start," she said smugly.

"I'm not sure KORPS are the 'stopping at traffic lights' kind of people," said Aneisha doubtfully.

Dan became aware of being followed. He glanced in his bike mirrors. Aneisha and Keri's car had pulled out on to the road and was now following him. He hoped this wasn't going to be a huge waste of time. He focussed back on the road and noticed a large delivery van pulling in at the side of the road in front of him. There wasn't much room to get past so he slowed down. There was a screeching of brakes behind him. Seriously Keri ! That girl loved all the theatrics ! He looked over his shoulder to see Keri sitting behind the wheel looking guilty and mouthing "sorry". Aneisha ran up beside him holding a gun. She pointed it at him and nodded towards the side street. She hopped on the back of the bike as he drove round the corner into a quiet side road.

"Sorry. Keri got a bit distracted. She nearly ran into the back of you," Aneisha muttered.

Keri followed them and got out to stand beside Aneisha as she opened up the pannier. Dan stood with his hands on the top of his helmet. "I'm not sure how long I can make this take," muttered Aneisha. They're not showing !" she complained.

"Get some keys off me. Make it look like you can't get into it," suggested Dan.

Keri menaced Dan with the gun and Aneisha held out her hand, snapping her fingers.

Dan reaching inside his jacket and pulled out a set of keys. They were keys to his college locker. Aneisha took them and made a show of unlocking something in the pannier. At long last she triumphantly pulled out a black metal box and held it out to show Keri, and anyone else who might be watching.

Keri and Aneisha looked up and down the street, motioning Dan to walk over to a building with some metal railings. "I guess we'll have to tie you up and go. Maybe they'll come after us when we head off with the bait," said Keri quietly.

"Okay, but he careful you two," said Dan quietly.

Aneisha handed Keri the box and fumbled with some rope. In the effort to hold the gun and the box, Keri was now pointing the gun at Aneisha. "Keri ! You're supposed to point it at me !" hissed Dan.

"Oh yeah. Sorry," said Keri, shoving the box under her arm. "It's really heavy !" she complained.

They heard some footsteps coming towards them. "Hold it right there KORPS !" shouted a man's voice. Keri and Aneisha spun around. Keri fumbled the box and tried to point her gun at the two people wearing masks in front of them. The gun wasn't loaded but she didn't want to have to fire it. It would attract too much attention. As she fumbled the two attackers pulled out spray cans and sprayed gas into their faces. Aneisha and Keri slipped slowly to the ground, dropping their guns and the metal box. Dan staggered backwards from the spray, bumping into the metal railings.

"Hey, who are you ?" he shouted, his voice muffled by the helmet.

"Just some friendly neighbourhood peacekeepers," said the masked woman. Her voice was muffled by the mask, but she sounded strangely familiar. She leant down and grabbed the box. "Bloody hell, it's heavy !" she complained.

"You can't take that ! It's government property !" Dan protested. He launched himself at the woman, but she kicked a high martial arts kick at his stomach. He blocked it easily with his arm, but pretended she had made contact, and staggered to the ground as if winded.

There was a sound of more running. Dan glanced up in surprise to see a group of black-clad KORPS agents converging on their position. "Shit ! Leg it !" he hissed to the two surprised vigilantes. They looked over their shoulders as Dan jumped to his feet and dropped into a fighting position. Realising they were in trouble the two vigilantes also adopted fighting positions. Dan gave thanks that these people had at least trained. Before they could make contact with the enemy agents, Dan felt an electric shock running through his body. He blacked out, falling to the ground.

The KORPS agent holding the stunner put it back in its holster and surveyed the scattering of unconscious bodies in front of them. "Get the device," he snapped at one of the other agents.

"What shall we do with this lot ?" asked another agent.

"Stick these useless KORPS agents in the back of the van with these other idiots," said the KORPS leader. "Serves them right. They can taste a little KORPS hospitality for their incompetence," he spat.

"What are they doing here anyway ?" asked a puzzled agent. The leader rounded on the agent glaring him down. "Got it. Put them in the back of the van," gabbled the intimidated agent, running to do as he was told. Asking questions was not the KORPS way.

Soon the street was empty, except for an empty car and a motorbike with an open pannier.


	16. Chapter 16

**MI High has come to an end. The team has to move into mainstream MI9 and become a team of adult agents. Will they all make the grade ? Can they become the spies they want to be ?**

 **There will be swearing in this chapter. Only fair to warn you.**

 **And who do you think you are ?"**

" _Stick these useless KORPS agents in the back of the van with these other idiots," said the KORPS leader. "Serves them right. They can taste a little KORPS hospitality for their incompetence," he spat._

" _What are they doing here anyway ?" asked a puzzled agent. The leader rounded on the agent glaring him down. "Got it. Put them in the back of the van," gabbled the intimidated agent, running to do as he was told. Asking questions was not the KORPS way._

 _Soon the street was empty, except for an empty car and a motorbike with an open pannier._

"Shit ! Shit !" squealed Artie, desperately flipping the levers on his drone controller. How could this whole thing get into such a damned mess ? "Come on ! Come to Daddy !" he muttered to himself, making the drone fly back at top speed. He glanced at the screen but felt sick looking at the blurred image returned by the drone as it flew at top speed back to his position. Finally it came over the wall and he landed it safely on the pavement at his feet. He grabbed the machine and tossed it on to the passenger seat before leaping in himself and starting the engine. He thanked the mechanical gods for making the car start straight away and he roared the engine as he set off down the street. He tapped some buttons on his homemade satnav and it started to give him instructions. The destination was the location of the tracker device he had set into Mike's and Laura's trainers. He thanked the gods of geek once again for letting him get the trackers ready just in time for this mission. It had all promised to be so simple. They would liberate the deadly weapon from government hands and … yeah, they hadn't really thought the next bit through had they ? Well, now KORPS had it, and worse, they also had Laura and Mike. Well, Artie would have a thing or two to say about that ! It was kind of weird how there were two lots of KORPS agents though. Oh well, that wasn't his number one priority right now. He needed to save his friends. Artie stared intently at the road ahead and drove as quickly as he dared.

Tom sat in his empty van staring in horror at his screen. Dan's helmet was obviously lying on an empty pavement next to his motorbike. The hidden camera showed a low level view of paving slabs and metal railings. Aneisha and Keri's comms system appeared to not be working. The KORPS agents must have taken them. Tom shakily ran his hand through his hair. "Abe ?" he almost whispered.

There was a pause before his mentor spoke. "On it Tom. Hold fast !" his mentor responded. "I'm sending you the trace information. Get going ! Find out as much as you can about their location. We'll bring the cavalry," said Abe.

Tom felt like crying. No ! His friends were relying on him. Aneisha was relying on him. He balled his hands into fists. He was not going to throw a wobbly, not now. Abe's data came through. He patched it into the van's satnav with shaking hands. Right, he'd show these bastards who was boss ! Tom started the engine and pulled out carefully. He'd only had his driving licence for a week. In a state of barely controlled terror he followed the satnav instructions and put his full concentration into driving the van, without hitting anything.

Dan woke up on the floor of a moving vehicle. His whole body ached. He tried to move his hands to rub his aching head, but couldn't move them. They were tied behind his back. Groaning he shifted position and tried to sit up. Finally he managed to sit and shuffled backwards to lean against the walls of the van he was travelling in. He shook his head and looked around at the bodies surrounding him. Keri and Aneisha were lying together at one end of the van. He twisted around so that he could feel for a pulse on Aneisha's neck. She was alive. He guessed they were both sleeping off the gas which the vigilantes had used on them. He shuffled backwards and checked out the vigilantes who were lying together at the other end of the van. Their masks had been pulled off and Dan gasped when he saw the woman. It was Laura. What the hell was she doing here ? Baffled, he ran over what had happened. She had told him she was a member of a "group that did stuff for people." It dawned on Dan that she had been trying to recruit him to her vigilante group. Could this situation be any worse ?

There was a groan and Dan glanced over to see the guy with Laura beginning to stir. He managed to get himself sitting and stared at Dan. "Laura ?" the guy asked, pushing Laura's body with his foot. "Wake up !" he hissed at her.

She groaned. "Whaaa ?" she mumbled, before she too pushed herself up off the floor. "Jeez. I ache, like, everywhere !" she complained. Blinking her eyes she looked at Dan and frowned. She blinked a few more times and said, "Dan ? What the hell are you doing here ?" she asked.

Dan sighed and looked up at the roof. "Well, see, I was riding my motorbike, with my top-secret weapon in the panniers, hoping that some vigilante group would try to steal it, when I got attacked by KORPS, tasered and stuck in this van," Dan explained in an annoyed voice.

There was silence, before the guy with Laura spoke. "Do you know this guy ?" he asked in surprise.

"Yeah. I mean, I thought I did. He's a student at my music school," explained Laura in a distant voice. "You're not a student are you ?" she asked.

"I am. I just do some other stuff as well," said Dan.

"Me too," said Laura.

"Yeah, well you've done it now !" complained Dan, shifting position and pulling at the ties binding his wrists.

"Wait, how is this my fault ?" demanded Laura angrily.

"Well, I guess it's running around playing at super-heroes, when there are real criminals out there trying to kill people and take control of the country," said Dan sarcastically. "We could be chasing those guys, but instead we're trying to get vigilantes out of the mess they've got themselves into !"

"Wait, we weren't in any mess until we met you !" snapped Laura.

"Oh yeah ! How about the secret detonator ? KORPS want it. Now you've got it. Did you think they weren't going to find you and come after you ?" demanded Dan. He couldn't stop himself glancing worriedly at Keri and Aneisha. He wished they would wake up. It wouldn't make any difference to their situation, but at least he would know they were Okay.

Laura's mouth opened and closed. "But these are KORPS agents !" she protested, before she looked closer. "Oh damn. That's Keri isn't it ?" she asked. Dan nodded wearily. "She works for KORPS !" Laura gasped. Dan shook his head. Laura frowned thoughtfully. "She's some kind of spy too isn't she ?" asked Laura.

Dan nodded again, staring at his feet. "She's not 'some kind of spy' Laura, she's a real spy, a trained spy," said Dan.

"Hey, we train !" complained Laura. "Don't we Mike ?"

Mike didn't look too sure. "I'm not saying you haven't got any skills," said Dan, resting his head back against the side of the van tiredly. "But did you seriously think you could take on KORPS ?" he asked them. Mike looked a little guilty, but not Laura.

"Oh isn't that just typical !" she snapped. "You James Bond types always think you're so superior to anyone else. Well, we got results ! We took a top secret detonator from KORPS. They could have killed millions of people with that and we took it from them !" she said triumphantly.

"Have you worked out how it operates yet ?" asked Dan.

"No, not yet. Artie says it doesn't make any sense," admitted Laura.

"Artie ?" asked Dan. "There are three of you," he said, looking shocked.

"Yeah. Three, what about it ?" asked Laura angrily. "We don't have big budgets like you guys. We have to use our initiative," she added proudly.

Dan sighed. "Well, your initiative has just got you into big trouble Laura. And all of us too," he said heavily.

"There's not just three of you though is there ?" asked Mike tentatively.

"No, but it's probably best if we don't go into that right now," said Dan cautiously.

"Why ?" demanded Laura. "Are you too 'top secret' ?" she asked mockingly.

"No. KORPS are going to be asking you some questions soon and the less you know, the less you can give away," said Dan seriously. Laura suddenly looked scared and sat back against the wall of the van.

"Shit !" whispered Mike. "This is the real deal isn't it ?" he asked Dan worriedly. Dan nodded, glancing once again at the sleeping figures of Keri and Aneisha.


	17. Chapter 17

**MI High has come to an end. The team has to move into mainstream MI9 and become a team of adult agents. Will they all make the grade ? Can they become the spies they want to be ? I know it's been an age. Thankyou for the kind reviews.**

 **Difficult questions.**

" _No. KORPS are going to be asking you some questions soon and the less you know, the less you can give away," said Dan seriously. Laura suddenly looked scared and sat back against the wall of the van._

" _Shit !" whispered Mike. "This is the real deal isn't it ?" he asked Dan worriedly. Dan nodded, glancing once again at the sleeping figures of Keri and Aneisha._

All too soon, the van stopped, throwing them all forwards. Dan managed to hold himself upright, but Laura and Mike were thrown to the floor. Immediately the doors were flung open and Keri and Aneisha were dragged out first. Guns were pointed at Dan and the others as they were ordered out. Dan tried not to stare too hard at the disappearing figures of Aneisha and Keri as they were hauled off in a different direction from where he and the two vigilantes were being directed. He didn't know what to hope for more, that they would be considered KORPS agents and punished for their failure, or if they would be discovered as MI9 agents and …. ? No, he'd stick with KORPS agents. They'd keep to the plan. They were going to get out of this. Tom and the others would be hot on their trail. They just had to last out until help arrived.

At last, the three captives were pushed into a room which had metal chains attached to the wall. Dan noticed Laura's eyes widening when she saw the chains. He sighed inwardly. These guys had no idea what they were up against. Each of them had the ties on their wrists clipped off and they were each shackled up against the wall, their hands above their heads. The KORPS agents who had brought them left the room.

There was a moments silence in the room before Laura nervously spoke. "Jeez, they love the melodrama don't they ? Can this get much more cliched ?" she joked, rather hoarsely. "I mean I know you're .." she started to say.

"Shut up !" snapped Mike, saving Dan the bother. He was hoping to keep his identity a secret for as long as possible. He didn't need Laura's big mouth to give him away.

"Hey, who are you telling to shut up !" snapped Laura petulantly.

"Laura ! They could be listening !" Mike hissed at her. Mike looked scared, but Dan thought that Mike had a better handle on what was going on than Laura did.

Laura looked like she was going to protest, but when she turned to face Dan angrily, he nodded his head towards a camera near the ceiling of the room. "Oh," said Laura. "So, like you're …. oh yeah," she muttered quietly. Finally she understood, her face falling. The anger was quickly replaced by fear, then defiance. "Well, I'm not going to tell them anything !" she snapped proudly.

"Oh, but I think you will my dear," said a cold voice as the door opened and a group of KORPS agents entered the room. A tall, blonde woman walked across the room towards them, her long legs eating up the floor in powerful strides. Everything about her spoke of power and control. She turned to another agent accompanying her. "Is this all of them ?" she asked.

"All of them from the scene Madam Scorpio," said the agent carefully. "We don't know how many there are. There were two at the previous incident," he added. "These look like the same ones."

"And you ?" demanded the woman, approaching Dan and pointing at him with a short metal bar.

Dan said nothing. "He's the motorcycle courier," explained the KORPS agent. "We thought he might be useful," he added.

"Hm. You're rather quiet aren't you ?" asked the woman. Dan stayed silent. The woman reached out and touched him lightly on the hip with the metal rod. A searing pain shot through Dan's body, up to the metal shackles on his wrists. Involuntarily he yelled out loud. A tear ran from one eye and he shivered from the shock of the electric bolt as he struggled to focus back on his tormentor. "There, that loosened your tongue didn't it ?" said the woman, sounding satisfied. She stepped away from Dan and walked past a now terrified Laura to a shaking Mike.

"I believe you have something of ours," she said to Mike.

Mike licked his dry lips and asked, "What ?"

"Oh, now really !" complained the woman, lifting her electric rod in front of Mike's face. "Unlike yourselves, we are not rank amateurs. Now, be a good little vigilante and tell Madam Scorpio where you have put the universal detonator," she said, pausing and turning to Dan. "Oh, I should say, how helpful of the government to develop such a device," she commented in a falsely polite voice. "Always useful to those of us dedicated to world domination," she said, smiling nastily. "Now, where were we ? Ah yes, the location of KORPS property," she said, pushing the electric rod right up to Mike's face. He shrank back against the wall, sweating in fear. The woman lowered her rod to Mike's lower regions. He screwed his face up in anticipation. Dan couldn't help thinking of her as a wicked witch with her nasty wand.

"No, please, I'll tell you," said Laura hoarsely. "Please, please don't. I'll tell you everything," she gabbled.

"Laura ! What are you doing ?" hissed Mike.

"She is making the only choice possible !" snapped Madam Scorpio.

"But you have to promise to let us go," said Laura, trying to sound strong.

The woman burst out laughing. "Promise ! Promise ! Oh really, how naïve we are !" said the woman sarcastically. "What film do you think you are in darling ? If you are lucky we will kill you quickly. If we wish we can bring you all a world of pain and then kill you. You don't ask for 'promises' little girl. I am not about to give you a tour of my underground lair followed by a ridiculously complex way of killing you all which includes some ingenious but simple way for you to make your escape. We are not in a Bond film," said the woman contemptuously.

Madam Scorpio spun on her heels, leaving a still shaking Mike dangling from his chains and stalked up to Laura. "Now, talk !" she snapped, holding the metal stick up to Laura's terrified face. Laura opened her mouth and before she could speak, an alarm started to ring out through the building. "Intruders ! Find out what is going on !" snapped Madam Scorpio to one of her henchmen. The man dashed out of the room. "So, the detonator !" said the woman spinning back immediately to Laura.

"W, w, we took it," stammered Laura.

"Yeees, and where is it now ?" demanded Madam Scorpio angrily.

"It's in th th the l l lab," stammered Laura.

"Address ?" asked Madam Scorpio.

"Doesn't really have one," said Laura. She winced and shrank back as the electric prod was pushed into her face. "It doesn't really !" whined Laura. "It's kind of derelict. I could take you there. We could take you there," she instantly corrected herself.

"Oh no dear, one person will do. You will take us there. Dispose of him !" she snapped, pointing to Mike. Mike's face went ashen.

"No ! Don't, I'll take you there. You can have whatever you want !" wailed Laura.

"I know darling. That's the point of evil," said Madam Scorpio sarcastically.

A KORPS agent walked over to Mike and reached up to undo his shackles. Mike was shaking with fear.

The door was opened by a guard and they gestured for Mike to leave the room. Mike looked back at Laura. Tears were streaming down her face. Mike looked away without speaking. "Mike !" whispered Laura in despair. Just at this moment, there was a commotion in the corridor outside the room.

"We have them Madam. We have the intruders. Looks like MI9 !" called out a woman's voice. A group of people marched into the room, forcing the two KORPS agents to pull Mike back into the room out of the way. Dan's heart sank as he watched Tom followed closely by Artie march into the room, hands on their heads.


	18. Chapter 18

**MI High has come to an end. The team has to move into mainstream MI9 and become a team of adult agents. Will they all make the grade ? Can they become the spies they want to be ?**

 **The cavalry.**

" _We have them Madam. We have the intruders. Looks like MI9 !" called out a woman's voice. A group of people marched into the room, forcing the two KORPS agents to pull Mike back into the room out of the way. Dan's heart sank as he watched Tom followed closely by Artie march into the room, hands on their heads._

Earlier, Tom had been driving carefully, following the red dots of Dan, Aneisha and Keri on his spy-grade satnav. The dots finally stopped moving. Tom looked around him. He was in the middle of an industrial estate. There were big office buildings surrounded by car parks full of cars and people wandering around, buying food from fast food vans. Tom's stomach rumbled. It was nearly lunchtime. Tom struggled to keep up his concentration, lost the battle and stopped to buy a bacon roll from one of the vans. As he hurriedly stuffed the food into his mouth he noticed a tiny little car pootling past where he was eating. A skinny young black guy wearing glasses was staring out of the window, looking around as if he were searching for something. With his hunger satisfied, Tom jumped back into the van and tried to home in on the location of his friends.

Tom used the high technology of his MI9 equipment to focus in on the team's location. He rounded the corner and was faced by what appeared to be an unused depot of some sort. The gates were locked and there were no cars or lorries parked inside. Deciding that the MI9 van was too conspicuous, Tom drove past and parked the van in the large car park of a nearby office block. He walked back, and decided to call at the burger van one more time. There was no queue. Tom smiled at the girl serving. "You want another bacon roll ?" asked the girl with a smile.

Tom shook his head and blushed. "No, I was just wondering about that place," he said, pointing to the empty depot.

"Oh, you don't want to go wandering around there. They've got fierce security on that place. Some kids tried to break in to do graffiti a couple of weeks ago. They got marched out by these nasty looking guys with dogs," warned the girl in the van. "One of my customers reckoned they had guns. Kind of over the top for an old depot, but I guess they don't want the place getting vandalised do they ?" she wondered. Another customer turned up and Tom slipped away as the girl turned to serve them.

Tom looked around him to check that he wasn't being watched as he headed back towards the depot. The front gate obviously wasn't an option, but he had to find a way in. KORPS wouldn't hang around dealing with their enemies. Tom called Abe. "Professor Hunter, erm, Abe, are you on your way ?" Tom asked nervously.

"We're on our way Tom. We should be there in about 30 minutes," said Abe. "Hang in there son !"

"I don't think I can wait that long," said Tom tensely. "I'll have to go in on my own," he said, almost choking on his own words.

"Alright, but remember everything we've taught you Tom," said his mentor. "We'll be coming right behind you. You need to get us that half hour. Can you do it ?" he asked.

Tom gritted his teeth. "Yes, I can do it," he said, trying to convince himself at the same time as Abe.

"Good man Tom. See you soon," said Abe.

Tom slipped his communicator into his pocket and jogged back to the van. He got out some equipment, a couple of tasers and an experimental dart gun. He looked at the gun and took a deep breath. Doctor Bertolli (Bertie) had warned them that testing had only been partially completed. He couldn't know if the gun would work successfully or not. A ball of string rolled across the floor of the van towards the open door. Tom smiled to himself. Dan still kept string lying around. At the last moment, Tom grabbed the string and pushed it into his pocket. If it worked for Dan, maybe it would work for him too.

Tom locked up the van and checked his watch. He'd wasted enough time. He had to get to work. The others were depending on him. Tom jogged around the side of the depot site, hoping to find an easier entry point. After a couple of minutes he realised that he wasn't out of breath. Hey ! The running schedule that Abe had given him was working ! He was actually getting fit ! A sense of elation came over Tom, which was why he slammed straight into the skinny black guy he had seen driving by earlier.

"Hey ! What the ?" asked the young black guy. He pushed his glasses back up his nose. "Are you um ? I mean, do you work here ?" he asked uncertainly.

"I'm looking for my friends," said Tom.

"Me too," said the young man.

The two stood and stared at one another for a moment. Then the young black guy spotted the Spy Pod that Tom was holding. "Hey ! Cool tech ! Does that work through concrete ?" he asked, waving a small, hand built gadget in his hand. "I got satellite access, but you can't see through concrete can you ?" he asked with a sigh.

"How did you get satellite access ?" asked Tom, curiously.

"Well I, erm, I asked nicely ?" said the young guy with an innocent smile.

"You hacked in through the maintenance interface ?" asked Tom with a grin.

"Yeah ! How do you know that ?" asked the young guy.

"It's what I use when I'm in a hurry," said Tom. "Speaking of which. I don't have much time. They're going to be in big trouble soon," he said, glancing at his watch. "I need a way in," he added nervously.

"Big trouble ? What kind of big trouble ?" asked the young guy.

"Like, the dead kind of big trouble," said Tom tensely.

"Okay, look, I'm going to help. I mean, I'm the tech guy. I don't do fighting and stuff," babbled the other guy. "But, I can't leave my friends. Know what I mean ?" he asked Tom.

"Yeah, I know exactly what you mean," said Tom. "I'm the tech guy too. I'm Tom," he said finally, holding out his hand.

"Artie," said Artie holding out his hand. "I think I know where we could get in," he added, "Come on !" he said, jogging a little further ahead. He pointed to where someone had piled a load of crates next to the security fence.

Tom smiled. "That'll do," he said. "Here, put this on," he said, handing Artie a wrist strap. "It's a proximity detector. You'll know when there's anyone nearby," he explained.

"Cool !" said Artie strapping it on his wrist. "Erm, do these guys, have like, guns and stuff ?" he asked nervously.

"Guns and stuff," said Tom. He started to climb the crates and Artie reluctantly followed. Once at the top of the crates, Tom pointed his Spy Pod at the building and made some adjustments on his device.

"What are you doing ?" asked Artie.

"I'm putting the CCTV cameras on a loop to give us time to get to the building," explained Tom. Artie nodded in appreciation. This guy was growing on him.

They ran to the side of the building as quickly as they could. Tom checked on the locations of the rest of the team. There were two dots on one side of the building and only one on the other. The two dots had to be Aneisha and Keri. He would go for them first. Tom used his Spy Pod to access the security system of the building and open a side door. "Stay close," he whispered to Artie. Artie nodded. He looked scared.

Tom turned a corner and came face to face with a startled KORPS guard. Without thinking, Tom kicked out in the way that Abe and the Prof had been training him. The kick caught the guard in the stomach, winding him. When he doubled over Tom brought up both fists in the guard's face, knocking him flat on his back. Shaking his sore hand, Tom looked in astonishment at the unconscious man at his feet.

"Wow ! I thought you were the tech guy !" whispered Artie in admiration.

"I really am !" whispered Tom. "Come on, help me hide the body. We'd better tie him up too," he added. Between the two of them, they managed to drag the guard into a cupboard, where they used some of Dan's string to tie him to some pipes. Artie used the man's tie to gag him.

Tom turned to leave the cupboard, when Artie grabbed his shoulder and pulled him back. When Tom frowned, Artie put his finger to his lips and pointed to the proximity detector. It was flashing. Tom froze and they stood motionless as they listened to the sounds of people walking past the door.

"Let the boss know they're awake. She'll want to decide the punishment," said a man's voice. The voices receded, and finally the proximity detector stopped flashing.

Tom followed the red dots on his screen, leading Artie through the corridors, dodging guards and cameras as they walked further and further into the depths of the building. At last, Tom came to a door marked "Cells". He pulled a silent stun grenade out of his pocket. He waved to Artie to stay back, set the timer, waited and then threw the grenade through the door. There was a strange popping noise and the door swung open as if pushed by a breeze. Tom dashed through the door, followed closely by Artie.

Three men lay unconscious on the floor. "Neish !" called out Tom.

"Tom ?" answered a voice. "Over here !" she called out.

Tom ran up to a door and looked through the tiny window. Aneisha's face was smiling back at him. He turned around and Artie was handing him a key card. "Took it off a guard," explained Artie. Tom thanked him and used the card to open the door.

Aneisha ran out and flung her arms around Tom. She was followed more slowly by a yawning Keri. "Oh, hi Artie," said Keri in between yawns.

Aneisha looked around at Artie. "Are you the guy who made that sleeping gas ?" she asked, sounding annoyed.

Artie shuffled nervously. "Um, yeah," he admitted.

Aneisha wagged her finger at him angrily. "We, are going to talk about that !" snapped. "Later," she said, turning to Tom. "We've got to save the others. I don't think they have long," she said worriedly.

"What are we going to do ?" asked Artie, looking scared.

"I've got an idea," said Keri lazily, staring at the guards lying on the floor.


	19. Chapter 19

**MI High has come to an end. The team has to move into mainstream MI9 and become a team of adult agents. Will they all make the grade ? Can they become the spies they want to be ?**

 **Okay guys, horribly late I know. Hope it's an early Christmas present.**

" _What are we going to do ?" asked Artie, looking scared._

" _I've got an idea," said Keri lazily, staring at the guards lying on the floor._

It took Keri and Aneisha only a couple of minutes to strip the guards of their helmets and weapons while Tom and Artie dragged them into the cell they had just vacated. Keri stood up and straightened her helmet. "How do I look ?" she asked.

"Pretty scary," said Artie. "Well, you scare me," he added when Aneisha laughed.

"I guess we'll do then. Now we need for you two to break in," said Keri.

"Uh, like we did that already," said Artie, sounding confused.

"Yeah, you did, but KORPS don't know you did. Now, we need KORPS to know you did so we can go for a walk," explained Keri. Artie looked blank.

"We're going to pretend that we captured you. We can't have captured you if you didn't try to break in first can we ?" asked Aneisha patiently.

"Oh, yeah !" said Artie, finally getting the point. There was a pause. "So what do we do ?" he asked.

"This !" said Keri, hitting a red button on the wall. "Hands on your heads !" she shouted. Both Tom and Artie leapt six inches in the air and slapped their hands on top of their heads. "Well, that got your attention," drawled Keri with a smirk. "Let's go."

"Where ?" asked Artie, now both confused and terrified in equal measure.

"To the boss of course," said Keri.

"But we don't know who that is, or where they are," said Artie weakly.

"So we ask someone," said Aneisha calmly. She waved her gun at the two boys. "Go on. Try to look scared," she suggested.

"I think I can do that," admitted Artie.

Keri and Aneisha marched the two boys out into the main corridors. KORPS agents were running around waving guns and shouting. "We have the intruders !" shouted out Aneisha. "You can kill the alarm. The fun's over." she added. "Where's the boss ?" she demanded of an agent who had just stopped running and was keying a code into a nearby keypad.

"She's in interrogation with those vigilantes," said the man, gesturing down the corridor.

"Move it !" snapped Aneisha, waving her gun in the direction the man had pointed. They started walking down the corridor. "I said move it !" snapped Aneisha. Tom and Artie picked up the pace.

"Hey !" hissed Tom when they were alone in the corridor. "You don't have to take this whole KORPS guard thing quite so seriously, do you ?" he asked.

"You heard what the man said," muttered Aneisha. "They've got Dan and the others in interrogation. That's not going to go well is it ?" she said pointedly.

"Okay. Good point," agreed Tom. "I can jog," he offered.

"Not a good look," said Aneisha. "Just walk quickly."

"Got it," panted Artie, trying to keep up with the others.

Aneisha had to ask for directions a couple more times before they found themselves in a corridor with a sign saying 'Interrogation Suite'. "Wow, they got a whole suite of this stuff !" said Artie, in between deep breaths. He was seriously out of shape. "That door says 'Observation'. What's that for ?" asked Artie.

"Let's have a look," said Keri. She pushed open the door and two KORPS agents inside a room with a large window turned and stared.

"What are you doing here ?" asked one man.

"Came for a look," said Keri, walking into the room. "Nice view," she said, before kicking one of the men in the head, knocking him out cold. Tom stunned the other man with a shot from his taser. They all crowded up to the window.

"One way glass," said Tom. "We can see out but they can't see in. Neat," he added. Then his expression changed as he watched a scary woman in heels attacking Dan with an electric rod.

"We need to move !" said Keri. "Quickly !" she added.

"Wait a second," said Tom. "Aneisha, do you still have that silver chain I gave you ?" he asked.

"Yes, I'm wearing it," said Aneisha. "I like it," she added defensively.

"Well, that's great," said Tom. "Erm, can I have it ?" he asked awkwardly.

Aneisha looked at him strangely, but undid the clasp on a complex silver chain which she handed to Tom. "Thanks," he said to her gratefully. He hid the chain in his hand. "Time to go," he said.

They marched up to the door of the interrogation suite. A guard was waiting outside. "What you here for ?" demanded the guard suspiciously.

"New prisoners," snapped Aneisha. "You don't want to keep the boss lady waiting do you ?" she asked sarcastically. The man snapped to attention and keyed a code into the door pad. They all craned to see the number he entered and snapped back into position when he turned round to face them again. The door opened and Aneisha and Keri marched the two boys into the room. As the door shut, Keri tasered the guard at the door and he slipped to the ground unconscious.

"We have them Madam. We have the intruders. Looks like MI9 !" announced Aneisha as they walked into the room.

Madam Scorpio turned around and smiled nastily. "Well, well, well. There are more amateurs. MI9 really are losing it on their recruitment lately aren't they," she crowed. The two KORPS agents sniggered. Keri shot them both with Tom's dart gun. "What is this ?" shouted the woman. "Guards !" she yelled, but the door was closed. She waved her electric baton in front of her. "I can kill you all !" she snarled, adjusting a setting on the handle of the baton.

Tom took his hands off his head and coolly walked up to her.

"Be careful Tom. That thing's evil," warned Dan tensely.

Tom smiled. "Yeah, she looks just like Darth Vader too !" he crowed.

Madam Scorpio snarled and lunged at him. Tom threw Aneisha's silver chain on to the end of the rod. It quickly slid down until the loose end of the chain loop touched Madam Scorpio's hand. There was a fizzing noise, a flash of blue light and the woman screamed, shaking wildly on her feet, before the flash subsided and she fell to the floor, twitching. Smoke seemed to be coming from her hand.

"Eeeuw !" said Laura in disgust.

"Yeah, I'm with you on that one," agreed Keri.

"Thanks guys," said Dan, grinning widely. "You came just in the nick of time, didn't they Mike ?" he said.

"Too right !" agreed Mike in relief.

Artie pulled at the chains holding everyone. "So where do these guys keep the keys ?" he asked.

Laura, Mike and Dan shrugged. "Search me !" said Mike.

Aneisha sighed and pulled a pin out of her hair. "Okay, let's do old school," she said. After much fiddling and tutting, she managed to free Dan and Laura.

Dan and Keri hugged each other tightly. "Thanks," Dan whispered in her ear. Keri smiled and said nothing.

"Sorry about the chain and everything," Tom whispered to Aneisha. It had completely melted with the current from the electric baton. "I'll get you a new one," he promised.

Aneisha smiled at him. "I'm counting on it," she murmured. "Okay," she said more loudly. "We need to leave the way we came in guys. Hands on heads !" she ordered, handing Dan a spare dart gun from Tom's supply. He tucked it inside his jacket and nodded to her before putting his hands on his head.

Keri keyed in the door code and they all marched out of the door. The corridor was empty, so Mike and Dan hauled the unconscious guard back into the interrogation room and shut the door. "Let's go !" said Dan, rejoining the group. As they marched down the corridor, alarms went off again.

"Oh really ! These guys are mad on those things !" complained Keri. "We got them already ! Turn off the alarms before I get a headache !" she yelled. KORPS agents who had swarmed into the corridors looked at the group of prisoners and relaxed. Someone keyed a code into a wall panel and the alarms stopped instantly.

"Where are you going ?" asked a KORPS guard looking puzzled.

"Disposal," said Aneisha confidently.

The man pointed in the opposite direction to the one they were walking in. "It's that way," he said.

"We knew that !" said Keri breezily and they all turned and walked the other way.

The KORPS agent screwed up his nose, then shrugged and went back to his station. Recruitment wasn't what it used to be.


	20. Chapter 20

**MI High has come to an end. The team has to move into mainstream MI9 and become a team of adult agents. Will they all make the grade ? Can they become the spies they want to be ?**

 **Escape from KORPS**

" _Where are you going ?" asked a KORPS guard looking puzzled._

" _Disposal," said Aneisha confidently._

 _The man pointed in the opposite direction to the one they were walking in. "It's that way," he said._

" _We knew that !" said Keri breezily and they all turned and walked the other way._

 _The KORPS agent screwed up his nose, then shrugged and went back to his station. Recruitment wasn't what it used to be._

When the area was clear of KORPS guards, Dan turned to Tom. "Do you know where we are going ?" he asked Tom.

"No," said Tom.

Dan looked between Aneisha and Keri. "Does anyone know where we are going ?" he asked hopefully.

"No," said Keri. "I'm guessing if we keep walking we have to eventually come to the end of this damn base !" she commented, huffing in an annoyed way.

"Great," Laura muttered to herself.

"Got any better ideas Einstein ?" asked Keri. "And can I just point out that I got carried into this place unconscious thanks to you and your mates !" she said angrily. "I didn't get a good look round before I was locked in a cell !"

Laura was about to spit back a reply, but their bickering was interrupted by blaring alarms once again. Everyone stopped dead and looked around in confusion. "How did we set that off ?" wondered Artie. "I didn't touch anything. You guys didn't touch anything ?" he asked. Everyone shook their heads.

A small group of KORPS agents ran round the corner towards them. "What's going on ?" asked Aneisha, pulling herself up straight. "I thought we had all the prisoners," she added.

"Looks like there's been another incursion. This lot must have been a diversion !" shouted an angry KORPS agent, grabbing Laura's face. She took her hands off her head, and fisted the man in the stomach, making him double over.

"Hey !" shouted another KORPS guard before Tom tasered him. Dan sleep darted two more KORPS agents and soon they were surrounded by a group of groaning or sleeping KORPS thugs.

"We need to get out of here, fast !" snapped Aneisha. "We might as well keep going this way," she said, pointing in the direction they had been travelling. "Have you got any communications Tom ?" she asked.

"No I can't get a signal out of this place," said Tom in frustration. "They must be jamming signals."

"Who do you think has broken into the place ?" asked Mike nervously.

"Must be MI9. They knew where we were coming," said Tom.

"So we're going to get rescued ?" asked Artie delightedly.

"If we're still alive when they find us, yes," said Dan. Artie's grin disappeared instantly.

"Let's go. We've been hanging around here too long," said Dan. He nodded at Aneisha who lead the way down the corridor. She was in KORPS uniform so would be less likely to be shot at by KORPS. They struggled to get very far. The corridors were now swarming with KORPS agents hunting insurgents. After fighting their way very little distance they heard the sound of distant shots being fired and shouting. By now groups of KORPS agents were running past them without registering their presence, apparently heading towards a pitched battle somewhere in the base.

"We could try to help," suggested Keri.

"What with ? I'm nearly out of ammunition," said Dan.

"Sorry, the dart guns are still prototypes. They haven't got many darts ready yet, and this taser is flat," said Tom, waving his remaining weapon.

"Same," said Aneisha, "but we can't hang around here. I say we run the opposite way."

Dan, Tom and Keri exchanged glances. "We need to get them out too," said Keri, nodding towards the vigilantes.

"Hey, we can take care of ourselves !" protested Laura.

"Speak for yourself. I nearly got disposed of !" snapped Mike. "Get real Laura. We are way out of our depth now," he said in frustration.

"He's got a point girl," said Artie. "I don't have a plan. Do you ?" he asked. Reluctantly Laura shook her head and glared at the ground.

"Okay, fighting that way," said Tom, pointing up one corridor. "So we go that way !" he said, pointing in the opposite direction. Everyone nodded and set off at a run.

It was a good plan, until they ran into a large group of KORPS agents defending an entry bay into the building. The good news was that they were all facing in the opposite direction. The bad news was that as soon as Aniesha struck the first KORPS guard, they all turned around. "MI9 !" yelled a KORPS guard, bringing up his weapon.

"I am not bloody MI9 !" yelled Laura, high-kicking the man in the chest. He collapsed, winded. Laura grabbed his gun and pointed it at the KORPS agents, firing wildly. This made the enemy agents scatter for cover. Dan managed to dart one, but after missing with his last remaining dart, he shoved the gun inside his jacket.

"Take cover !" Dan shouted. They all managed to dive behind piles of crates before a hail of bullets fired in their direction. "Laura, do you know how to use that thing ?" he shouted.

Reluctantly Laura shook her head, before handing the gun to Dan. Dan nodded his thanks, and started to fire at the KORPS agents who had leapt to their feet, confident that the young MI9 agents had no weapons. He made the bullets count, knocking three men off their feet. He tried not to think about whether or not they were dead. He had hit them in the upper chest. At least he hoped he had hit them in the upper chest. Now they couldn't shoot back. In a break between firing Dan turned to Tom. "Have you got any more weapons ?" he asked in desperation.

"I've got one stun grenade left," said Tom, rummaging in his pockets. "Don't know what I did with it," he said in frustration.

"Is this it ?" asked Artie, holding up a small round ball.

"That's it," said Keri, taking it from Artie's hand. She pressed the side of the metal ball and then lobbed it over the pile of crates towards the hiding places of the KORPS agents. Dan, Keri, Aneisha and Tom quickly covered their ears. A second or two later, the others copied them. There was a dull cracking noise, followed by silence. Keri looked at Dan and grinned. "Got them," she said triumphantly.

"Oh yeah ?" snarled a voice above them. An enormous thug stood over them, blood trickling from a cut on his forehead, and pointing a large gun into the centre of their group. Dan shot to his feet, knocking the gun upwards, but not entirely out of the man's hand. He wrestled the gun up into the air, and the KORPS agent was only able to shoot into the ceiling, raining chips of plaster down on them all. Keri leapt to her feet and swept her legs under the KORPS thug's knees, knocking him sideways, but also pulling Dan's hands free of their grip on the gun. Keri watched in horror as the falling KORPS thug swung the gun around to point at Dan.


	21. Chapter 21

**MI High has come to an end. The team has to move into mainstream MI9 and become a team of adult agents. Will they all make the grade ? Can they become the spies they want to be ?**

 **Get out of that !**

" _Oh yeah ?" snarled a voice above them. An enormous thug stood over them, blood trickling from a cut on his forehead, and pointing a large gun into the centre of their group. Dan shot to his feet, knocking the gun upwards, but not entirely out of the man's hand. He wrestled the gun up into the air, and the KORPS agent was only able to shoot into the ceiling, raining chips of plaster down on them all. Keri leapt to her feet and swept her legs under the KORPS thug's knees, knocking him sideways, but also pulling Dan's hands free of their grip on the gun. Keri watched in horror as the falling KORPS thug swung the gun around to point at Dan._

Dan watched in horror as the muzzle of the gun swung round towards his face. Then a blur of movement shot across his field of vision as a foot collided in mid-air with the gun barrel, knocking it to the side as a shot fired. The bullet grazed Dan's shoulder, making him hiss with the sting and recoil backwards from the shock. He then only just saw Laura hurtling above his body, slamming the gun from the hands of the KORPS goon. Mike hurled himself at the gun falling to the floor, grabbing it and scuffling out of the reach of their enemy. As the KORPS agent staggered back slightly and reached to grab Laura, who was now landing cat-like on the floor, Mike swung the gun on the man and threatened, "Just try it mate ! Just try it !" The goon retreated with his hands up before turning and running back towards his group.

"Aagh !" hissed Dan, feeling the skin stretch at the wound on his shoulder.

"Dan ! Are you alright ?" asked Keri, obviously worried.

"Yeah," muttered Dan. "It's just a scratch. Thanks Laura and Mike. Good work," he said. The two vigilantes smiled for the first time that afternoon.

"Guess we're not completely useless," said Mike with a shy smile.

"Never said you were," said Dan shortly. "Just under-trained." He looked to Aneisha who had been checking the level of opposition around them. "How's it look ?" he asked her.

"I think KORPS are down pretty heavily. We're not attracting any fire at the moment," she said. "I think we should make a run for it. You up to it Dan ?" she asked casually, noting the steady trickle of blood from Dan's shoulder. It didn't look too heavy. A couple of stitches ought to see to that later, she thought with a professional eye.

"Oh yeah," said Dan grimly.

"Let's get the party started !" chirped Keri.

"Do you actually say that ?" asked Artie in disbelief.

"I do. Not anybody else really," admitted Keri sheepishly.

Dan couldn't help smiling, along with Aneisha and Tom. "Can you handle the gun Mike ?" asked Dan.

"I'd rather not," admitted Mike, offering it out to Dan.

"Maybe Keri," suggested Dan, not sure if his aim would be affected.

"Oh, sure," said Keri, reluctantly accepting the large gun from Mike. Her cheerfulness abruptly ended. "Come on. I want to get out of here," she said in a determined voice.

"Roger that !" called out Dan, Aneisha and Tom. This brought a short half-grin back on to Keri's face.

"Hey, you guys are stealing my lines !" she mock-complained.

Keri fired off a few random shots ahead as they all sprinted towards the doors at the end of the large delivery bay area they were in. They were nearly there when the doors exploded in towards them, sending everyone flying backwards while debris was sprayed across the room.

"MI9 ! Put your hands in the air and surrender !" yelled a woman's voice, as scores of agents poured into the bay.

The team coughed and spluttered, getting to their feet. Tom dusted himself down and shook his head to get the ringing out of his ears. He looked up in bemusement at a gun pointing towards him. "Tom ?" asked a familiar voice. The black balaclava mask was pulled off the agent in front of him to reveal Abe. "Is this your team ?" asked Abe, gesturing to the coughing, staggering group.

"Yes, it's us," said Tom. "We're with the vigilante group too," he added, nodding to the other dusty figures, not sure who was who in the dust and smoke.

"Dan ! Stay right where you are !" ordered a woman's voice. Bertie pulled off her hood and marched up to Dan who was about to get off his hands and knees on the floor. "You're injured !" said Bertie.

Dan sighed. "It's just a scratch. Nothing to worry about," he complained, trying to get to his feet once again.

"Stay where you are !" ordered Bertie, pushing him back to a sitting position.

"What ? It's nothing, the guy missed completely !" protested Dan.

"Erm, Dan," said Tom tentatively, pointing to his head.

"Huh ?" asked Dan in confusion, touching his head. His hand came away bloody. "Oh !" he said, staring at his bloody fingers in some surprise. "How did that happen ?"

"He doesn't seem too bad," said Tom, also wondering why they were making such a fuss. Dan only had a cut on his head. They always bled loads.

"No, I know !" said Dan, sounding put out. "Who are you anyway ?" he asked Bertie.

"Oh," murmured Tom. "Maybe not so good," he admitted.

"I am Dr. Bertolli, one of your training supervisors," she explained patiently to the obviously confused Dan. "I would like you to sit still, until the medical recovery team come in and take you out. Can you do that for me Dan ?" she asked.

"Okay," Dan said simply, suddenly cooperative in the face of the doctor's calm, professional demeanour.

"Is anyone else hurt ?" asked Bertie, surveying the rest of the group.

"A couple of scratches," admitted Laura reluctantly, showing the doctor a series of cuts on her arm.

"Sit next to Dan please," instructed the doctor. Luckily everyone else appeared to be unhurt, barring a few scratches. "I'll have you all checked out with medical anyway," she said. "Standard procedure," she pointed out before the obvious complaints got under way. "Everyone else out please," she ordered, waving towards the blasted open doors. Reluctantly the others filed out leaving Dan and Laura being guarded by Abe and Bertie.

Laura looked into Dan's face and could now see that his eyes were a little glazed. "You Okay ?" she asked gently.

"Fine," he said calmly. "You're the girl with the double base aren't you ?" he asked.

"Yeah, that's me," Laura told him. She sighed. It had been a day and a half.


	22. Chapter 22

**MI High has come to an end. The team has to move into mainstream MI9 and become a team of adult agents. Will they all make the grade ? Can they become the spies they want to be ?**

 **What next ?**

 _Laura looked into Dan's face and could now see that his eyes were a little glazed. "You Okay ?" she asked gently._

" _Fine," he said calmly. "You're the girl with the double base aren't you ?" he asked._

" _Yeah, that's me," Laura told him. She sighed. It had been a day and a half._

It took ages to process the whole team, plus extras, through MI9 medical. By the time everyone had been dealt with, the doctors had discharged Dan with instructions to rest until the concussion had worn off. Laura's hand was bandaged and everyone else was unscathed apart from a few scratches and bruises.

"Did they glue your head back together ?" asked Keri cheerily as Dan's tired face came into view.

"Yeah, basically," he said quietly. "Superglue," he added.

"Oh yeah, that's what it was originally invented for," piped up Aneisha. "It was developed for quickly closing battle field wounds," she explained in triumph.

"Yay," said Dan with no enthusiasm, before dropping into a chair beside Keri.

Keri moved to give him a sympathetic hug and stopped, pointing at his shoulders. "Erm, was it this one, or that one ?" she asked. Dan pointed to his left shoulder. Keri quickly hugged him around the waist. "Safer," she said quietly. This earned her a small, tired smile.

Aneisha looked around the room. Tom and Artie were having an animated conversation, oblivious to everyone else. Mike and Laura were standing slightly off to one side, obviously not sure about their place with the others. Aneisha decided to take pity on them, and motioned them to come over. Laura gave her a grateful smile. "So, what happens now ?" asked Laura cautiously.

Dan shrugged slightly. "I guess you either get arrested or recruited," he said. Mike and Laura's eyebrows rose.

"I mean, that stuff we took was dangerous wasn't it ?" asked Laura.

Aneisha wondered what she should tell the other young woman. The vigilantes already knew too much about them, so she decided that she might as well be honest. "Well, not really. It was fake. We were trying to draw out KORPS so we could find their secret base," she explained. She had to smother a smile at the expressions on Laura and Mike's faces. They stood with their mouths hanging open.

"We stole fake stuff," said Mike.

"And we completely screwed your operation," said Laura.

"I'm leaning towards arrested," said Mike glumly. Laura nodded.

"Arrested ? Who's getting arrested ?" demanded the Professor, walking into the waiting room.

"Wait, you're that Professor who doesn't teach anyone else, aren't you ?" asked Laura. "Oh, so you're Dan's handler or something ?" she asked.

"Or something," agreed the Professor calmly. "So, who is getting arrested ?" he asked again.

"Erm, like us," said Artie. "Since we stole your fake equipment, totally screwed your operation and nearly got everyone killed. I think that sums it up," he said glumly.

The Professor looked amused. "A good synopsis," he agreed. "Just one small point. You managed to lead us to the secret KORPS base which we were looking for. Admittedly, not in the way we had planned, but the objective was achieved and the base has been eliminated."

"What ? We've knocked out KORPS ?" asked Laura excitedly. She looked around at glum faces. "Dum question huh ?" she asked, cooling down instantly.

"Ultimately we may never defeat KORPS," said the Professor carefully. "However, we have weakened them. While they are weakened, they can do less harm. It's a good start." He turned and faced Laura, Mike and Artie. "So, should I arrest you ?" he asked.

The three vigilantes' shoulders drooped. "I guess we made a mess of things," admitted Laura.

"Yes, I'm glad you think so," agreed the Professor. "That is why we're prepared to offer you a place on the MI9 training programme," he said.

There was silence for a minute before Laura spoke. "Really, you'd have us ?" she asked.

"You have many of the attributes we look for," said the Professor. "You will, however, have to pass our training regime," he added.

"Wait, you mean, me too ?" asked Artie in delight.

"You also," said the Professor.

"Like, wowser !" exclaimed Artie. "I'm in !" he added. The Professor smiled.

Laura and Mike looked at one another. "I nearly got you killed," said Laura hesitantly.

"I think that was a team effort," said Mike. "What do you think then ? Do you want to work for the man ?" he asked mockingly.

Laura blushed in embarrassment. "It does sound pretty stupid now doesn't it ?" she said. "Okay, I'm prepared to admit I was wrong," she said quietly. "I would like to join the training programme please. I don't want to mess up again."

"Yeah, that goes for me too," said Mike.

"Excellent. That's agreed then. One of our teams is presently checking over your secret workshop to make sure it is safe," explained the Professor.

Artie put his hand up and the Professor paused, eyebrows raised. "Erm, like, I thought that was, like, a secret," said Artie tentatively.

"You are speaking to spies young man," the Professor pointed out.

"Oh, yeah," said Artie, sinking back into his seat. That was him told.

"Your transport will be here soon to take you home. You have appointments with recruitment tomorrow at 10 am. You will be collected with the code phrase, 'Don't try this at home'," instructed the Professor. "Have a good evening," he said, before walking out.

"Thank God he's not driving us home," muttered Dan. Everyone looked at him questioningly. "Drives like a maniac," Dan muttered. "He drives everywhere like he's trying to shake off a tail."

"Maybe this whole spy thing gets to you in the end," suggested Artie sympathetically.

"Oh, it doesn't take that long," Keri assured him. "I thought I'd picked up a tail walking home from school. Turned out the guy was delivering leaflets," she said. "He wasn't expecting a head lock for his trouble."

Aneisha pursed her lips. "Good cover," she said thoughtfully.

Keri looked at Aneisha. "I think we need to take a break," she said.

Dan looked at Keri curiously. "How did you explain that then ?"

Keri checked her nails calmly. "Told him I had a stalker. He bought it," she said coolly.

Mike and Laura glanced at one another. What had they just got themselves into ?


	23. Chapter 23

**The MI High team have moved on to their adult training. Can they become a successful adult team ?**

 **General stuff. A bit more action in the next chapter. Promise.**

Several days later, Laura walked into the music school canteen and spotted Dan sitting at his usual table for one in the farthest corner of the room, slowly stirring his coffee. She smiled to herself before buying a sandwich and coffee and joining him. "Do you mind ?" she asked.

Dan looked up and shrugged. "Don't see why not," he said.

"How's your head ?" asked Laura.

"It'll do," said Dan.

"You still don't say much do you ?" she asked teasingly.

Dan looked thoughtful. "It's easier that way," he said, sighing.

"You guys all went off together after the mission," Laura commented quietly.

"We live together," said Dan.

Laura's eyebrows raised. "Isn't that kind of claustrophobic ?" she asked. "I thought you'd want a break from each other," she added.

"It's not a normal life," Dan tried to explain. "Plus, technically, we're still completing our training. It's easier if we're all together. Plus we have people we can talk to at the end of the day. We can't tell anyone else what we've been doing."

"But you're going out with Keri aren't you ?" asked Laura curiously. "Doesn't that get on everyone's nerves ?"

"Well I can't very well go out with anyone outside work can I ?" asked Dan.

"Why not ?" asked Laura.

Dan looked at her and frowned. "Okay, so imagine you're going out with someone who is not a spy in MI9, right," he said. Laura nodded. "So you've got a choice. You either lie about everything, you know, what you do for a living, where you are, who you've been speaking to, why you were late, why you were out all weekend, why you're covered in bruises. Or, you don't tell them anything, tell them it's all classified and you can't speak about anything you've done all day. Which would you prefer ?" he asked her, spinning a packet of sugar on the table with his finger.

Laura thought about it. "Neither really," she finally admitted. She sighed. "I hadn't thought about that."

"You have to realise Laura, that spying isn't going to be part of your life. It is going to be your whole life. You can't have another one. It just doesn't work," explained Dan. "It took me a while to realise it. It's not that Keri has to do or anything. She's great. I wouldn't choose anyone else, but also, I can talk to her about anything, work or otherwise, and she gets it. We live in a closed world. It's dangerous and it's secretive, but it matters. That's why we do it," he said, lowering his head to stare at his coffee again.

Laura was astonished. It was the most he had ever said to her since she first met him.

"When did you start ?" she asked curiously.

Dan sighed, "It's probably better if you don't know that," he said reluctantly. "It's kind of complicated and it affects other people," he explained. "Sorry."

"Okay," said Laura quietly. She was beginning to realise that spying was a complicated life and not the big adventure that she had imagined. Her embarrassment at her own naivety was growing.

"I was a bit of a pain wasn't I ?" she asked quietly.

Dan looked up and smiled. "You were a bit," he paused to think, "over-enthusiastic."

"Ha ! And a right royal pain in the arse !" laughed Laura.

Dan laughed too and nodded. "Yeah, and that too," he agreed. "You were pretty handy when it counted though," he added truthfully. He held out his hand. "Truce ?" he asked.

Laura shook his hand. "Truce," she agreed.

Dan glanced at his watch. "I've got to go," he said. "Rehearsals." He saw Laura's curious expression. "As in actual rehearsals," he added. "I'm doing percussion for the Jazz orchestra," he said, standing and pushing in his chair. "Just what I need."

Laura watched Dan's retreating back as she took the sandwich out of its packaging and started to eat. Had she bitten off more than she could chew ? Someone cleared their throat behind her. She found one of the tutors standing there. He tapped his watch. "Oh damn ! I'm playing bass aren't I ?" she asked, jumping up and stuffing the remains of her sandwich in her mouth. "Mff mf mmmf fffmm," she mumbled through the sandwich, before running off after Dan.

Later that day, Dan walked into the sitting room of the flat to find Keri already there, rolling out lengths of material on the floor. "Sorry," she said, glancing up. "There's no room on my bedroom floor."

Dan waved his hand, flopping down on the sofa. "I've seen your bedroom floor," he said, cupping his chin in his hand, watching as Keri carefully measured the length of the material, shifting the layers back and forth. "It's a distant memory now. When did you last see your carpet ?" he asked innocently.

Keri frowned at him. "And how was your day ?" she asked.

"Rehearsed with the Jazz Orchestra," he said.

"What are they like then ?" asked Keri, now pinning the material together.

"Well, it's got a demon rhythm section," said Dan boastfully.

"And who are they, need I ask ?" asked Keri.

"Me and Laura," said Dan. "The girl can play."

"Yeah, but can she do this ?" demanded Keri, dropping into the splits.

Dan looked at her in bemusement. "To be honest, I haven't asked," he said. "Erm, is it going to be easy cutting your material in that position ?" he asked.

Keri gave him a withering look. "It's my system of measurement," she explained, as if to a two year old. "I need precisely two legs worth," she explained.

"Okaaaay," said Dan doubtfully. He had no idea what she was going on about, but she was obviously in one of her bonkers moods, so he decided not to rise to the bait.

"We've got a mission this weekend," said Keri. "Did the Prof tell you ?" she asked.

Dan shook his head. "Haven't seen him all day. I've been doing actual music stuff," he said, yawning. "Any idea what we're doing ?" he asked.

"Nope, but we're going to be working with the new trainees," said Keri, pulling herself up off the floor.

Dan looked confused. "But we're trainees aren't we ? Why would they put trainees in charge of trainees ?" he wondered.

"I don't know if we're actually in charge of them. I think our mentor team are going to be in charge," said Keri.

"Okay," said Dan getting up. "Tea ?" he asked.

"Please !" said Keri, starting to cut through the material carefully.

As Dan threw teabags into a couple of mugs he thought how it was great that everything was going well.

"Noooooooo !" wailed Keri from the sitting room floor.

Okay, so nearly everything, he thought again.


	24. Chapter 24

**The MI High team have moved on to their adult training. Can they become a successful adult team ?**

 _First mission together. I know it's been an age, but hey ! Here's a bit longer chapter to make up for it._

Keri checked her nails again. She was sure she had chipped one of them climbing over the brick wall behind the buildings they were infiltrating.

"Keri," whispered Aneisha.

"Huh ?" Keri muttered, distracted.

"Can you forget about the nails please ?" hissed Aneisha through her gritted teeth. "I'm sure KORPS can pull them out for you when they get hold of us," Aneisha suggested.

"Um ? Okay, focussed," Keri promised, scanning their surroundings with her Spy Pod.

"Finally !" sighed Aneisha, shaking her head.

"Keep your hair on," murmured Keri. Oops, she'd forgotten about her hair. This hat was totally going to ruin the crimp she put in this morning ! She tried to tuck in a few stray strands of her bright red hair.

Aneisha sighed. It was pointless ! She was sure she heard the sound of sniggering over comms. "Okay Tucker, I heard that !"

"Erm, like, I think it was me," Artie admitted. "Have you guys got sight yet ?" he asked.

"Nope ! What about the rest of you ?" asked Keri, oblivious to everyone's amusement.

"Some cars coming in and out, but nothing obvious," reported Laura. She glanced at Dan who was crouched beside her behind some large industrial rubbish bins. He shook his head to her unasked question.

"We might as well go for it," said Dan. "You guys ready ?" he asked. There was a murmur of agreement.

"Okay, on my mark, three, two, one," said Tom's voice over comms. They all made a dash for their points of entry.

Aneisha and Keri ducked behind a row of metal frames holding waste metal items. "They're pretty keen on recycling for a criminal conspiracy," muttered Aneisha.

"Yeah !" agreed Keri. "Since when did KORPS get a social conscience ?" she wondered.

The two agents crept along the side of the wall, keeping low. Keri had her eyes fixed on the display screen of her Spy Pod. "Not picking up anyone in the vicinity," she whispered. "Let's try the door."

Aneisha placed a small black box on the digital key pad next to the plain, painted metal door beside them. After a few seconds a green LED lit up on the black box and the door softly swung inwards. Aneisha pushed it open a little more, crouching down on the ground. "I think it's clear," she whispered. She and Keri dashed inside and pushed the door shut behind them. "We're in," muttered Keri.

===== / ======

"We're kind of in too," said Artie. He, Tom and Mike had walked into a reception area at the front entrance. "Hi ! Electrical safety testing ?" Artie asked the large and expressionless guard manning the front desk. Without speaking the man reached for a telephone. Artie felt sweat starting to run down his back. He resisted the urge to glance at Mike or Tom. The easy part was over.

"We might need a few more minutes," came Dan's tense voice over comms. "It's busy around here," he added. He and Laura had made it inside the gate, but were now pinned down behind some more crates of waste material as a large group of people were unloading a lorry load of boxes.

"Get those packs of waste !" shouted out a man, pointing to the crates they were hiding behind.

Laura looked at Dan and mouthed, "Now what ?"

Dan looked at her and shrugged. "Wait for our chance," he whispered, turning back to watch out for any opportunity to make a break for it.

Laura's mouth was dry. After a few weeks of training she had started to see how MI9 ran its operations. She had to admit it was way more professional than anything she and her group of vigilantes had ever managed on their own. Still, she didn't think they had an antidote to getting killed. The danger was still the same. It just wasn't quite as much fun. If she was honest the lack of fun was probably down to her watching her friend being led away to be killed on their last mission. There was no coming back from that.

Dan was watching the people working in front of them, waiting as they approached. He glanced across at Laura who looked tense, scared even. "Hey !" he whispered. "When they level with us, wait until they're a bit distracted and pick up a big box so that it hides your face. Walk in after them," he instructed her.

Laura looked at him in disbelief. "What ? That's going to work ?" she asked.

"Have you got a better idea ?" asked Dan. "Just mix in with the group and act normal," he said, turning back to watch for his chance to move. The familiar thrill of danger ran through him. He really shouldn't get off on this kind of thing, but he did.

A couple of people arrived at the crates where they were hiding. They each looked around and picked up a crate each, starting back towards the lorries. Dan nodded to Laura who quickly grabbed a big box which didn't have too much stuff in it. It was quite heavy, but she could manage it. Dan did the same. Holding the boxes in front of their faces, they followed the workers towards the lorries. In the muddle of people walking back and forth between the lorries and piles of boxes, nobody noticed the extra couple of people, who quietly peeled off and walked into the darkness at the corner of the goods entrance.

Laura dropped her heavy box as soon as the coast was clear. "Wait a second," instructed Dan. He emptied most of the contents of his box into Laura's and grinned at her. "That's better," he said. "Follow close behind me," he ordered, walking off with the near empty box held out in front of his face. "We're in," Dan muttered into his comms.

Laura was impressed at Dan's ingenuity. After all, it had worked once. There was no reason why it wouldn't continue working for them. Just in case, she kept her hand on the taser in her pocket and kept lookout around them as they walked deeper into the building.

====== / =======

Meanwhile at the front reception desk, things were still tense. The large guard behind the desk put down his phone and stared hard at the small group in front of him. "Nobody said nothing about testing," he stated flatly.

"Well, it's got to be done every year," said Tom. "It's on a rotation, you know ? We were told to do you next," he said, staring at a fake docket in his hand. "You don't want your accreditations to expire do you ? Health and Safety will be on you like a tonne of bricks," he said confidently. He looked into the large man's face. Clearly, Health and Safety was not a major concern of this guy. He looked like the kind of guy who hit people without much concern for their health or safety. Tom gulped.

The guard's eyes narrowed. While he was obviously suspicious, his limited IQ was struggling to cope with the current situation. These guys in front of him looked like the kind of geeky idiots who liked testing things and sticking labels on them. On the other hand, nobody seemed to be expecting them. Finally, he gave up the struggle. He grunted, "Passes," before handing over a bundle of lanyards with Visitor badges attached. "And you don't touch nothing that hasn't got a label on it," he instructed.

"Oh, absolutely !" said Tom in relief. "We'll just test the regular stuff," he promised, nodding happily. He smiled at the others who looked equally relieved. Once through the double doors beside the guard's desk, Tom muttered into his comms, "We're in."

Artie risked a glance over his shoulder and saw the guard, staring suspiciously through the tiny window in the entrance door. "Erm guys, I think we should look busy for a bit. The guy at the door is watching us," he muttered.

"Got it," Tom said, looking around for anything electrical. "Here !" he said, pointing to a photocopying area. "Get your kit out and start looking busy," he instructed. All three agents opened up the grey toolkit boxes they were carrying and removed official looking electrical equipment. They attached connectors to different bits of office equipment and stared at their supposed test kit. Then they busily wrote out labels and stuck them on the equipment they had pretended to test.

"Have you got any idea what this means ?" asked Mike.

"No idea," said Tom and Artie simultaneously. "Just look efficient," suggested Tom.

"Only, I'm getting this great big spike thingy on my readout," said Mike uncertainly. Artie and Tom peered over his shoulder.

"Oh yeah !" agreed Artie. "No idea what that is. You Tom ?" Tom shook his head.

Artie took another glance back at the entrance door. "It's cool guys. He's given up," he said. They stuck a few more labels on things, just to be on the safe side and then packed up their gear and moved on. As they walked slowly through an office area Artie asked, "Do you know what we should be looking for ?"

"Anything that doesn't seem right," answered Tom.

The group moved through the building, setting up their equipment and sticking on labels whenever there were people around. Thankfully, nobody paid any attention to them. It was as if they were invisible. Artie leaned in to talk to Tom. "This is sweet man ! It's like nobody can see us !" he murmured.

Tom nodded. "Yeah, you know the best way to infiltrate a building ?" Artie frowned and shook his head. "Cleaners," whispered Tom. "Nobody sees the cleaners."

"Aw neat !" exclaimed Artie. "But, don't you end up having to do some cleaning and stuff ?" he asked.

"Yeah, that's the main downside," admitted Tom, shrugging his shoulders. He felt a bit guilty then, because it hadn't usually been his job to do the cleaning. He had mostly sat in a nice cosy van for the duration of their assignments. Still, the technical genius couldn't always be wasted on the mundane stuff !

"That big spike thingy just keeps on getting bigger," complained Mike in bafflement.

====== / =======

Meanwhile, Aneisha and Keri had dived through a door to avoid a group of workers. They turned on a light and found themselves in a changing room where white overalls hung on hooks on the wall, along with face masks. Aneisha looked at Keri and grinned. Keri grinned back. "Well, how could I resist ?" asked Keri. The two agents put on the safety gear over their spy clothes. "How do I look ?" asked Keri, her voice muffled by the face mask.

"Invisible," said Aneisha. "Come on, let's see where these people work," she said, opening the door at the far end of the room. Keri and Aneisha stepped into a corridor, where air was blowing from one side to the other. "Seems to be some kind of de-contamination unit," said Aneisha. A set of glass doors at the far end of the room opened to let them through. "Wow !" muttered Aneisha as they stepped through. "I've never seen anything like this."

======= / ===========

Dan and Laura were also working their way deeper into the building. "The whole recycling thing is a bit weird," commented Dan.

"Why. I mean, I know they're not nice people, but what's weird about putting out the recycling ?" asked Laura.

"That's just it," said Dan. "They weren't putting it out. They were bringing it in."

"Oh, yeah. That is kind of weird," admitted Laura.


	25. Chapter 25

**The MI High team have moved on to their adult training. Can they become a successful adult team ? It's been a while, so hopefully a longer chapter will make up for it.**

 _So when did KORPS get into recycling ?_

"Wow, this thing is off the scale," muttered Mike.

Tom sighed. Reluctantly he wandered over to look at Mike's equipment screen. It showed a massive spiky signal leaping about. There was a kind of rhythm to it. Tom frowned. "What is this thing supposed to do ?" he asked, taking the box from Mike.

"Haven't a clue," said Mike. "It was just one of the boxes that looked like the right sort of kit, according to Frank," he explained with a shrug.

Tom checked the settings. It was measuring "Electromagnetic pulse strength" according to the menu. He looked at the reading again. "Artie, what do you reckon would make an electromagnetic pulse this big ?" he asked.

Artie looked over Tom's shoulder. "Hm ! I dunno," he said, frowning. "Maybe some big electromagnet type of thing, or maybe an atom bomb or something," he suggested.

"It's got a pattern," pointed out Tom.

"Okay ! So lots of little atom bombs," suggested Artie with a grin. "Alright, I don't have a clue," he admitted.

"Would that be something unexpected then ?" asked Mike.

"Yes, it would," admitted Tom. He sighed. "Alright, let's try to work out where it's coming from," he said. "Point it where it seems strongest."

Mike did as he was told and pointed towards a door at the end of the corridor, marked 'No Access. Strictly Authorised Personnel Only' "That'll be it," he said.

Tom felt a knot of fear growing in his stomach. "Yeah. That's bound to be it," he agreed.

======= / ==========

Keri and Aneisha walked carefully through an empty area. Conveyor belts were carrying random pieces of plastic and paper around a large room. At the centre of the room was a large piece of machinery encased in a glass box. A few people dressed in the same protective clothing as themselves were standing in front of consoles and staring into the enclosed area at the centre of the room. The two agents glanced at one another. Aneisha pointed towards the workers. Keri nodded. She closed her eyelids carefully, allowing the eyelash camera to take a photograph of the scene in front of them. This had to be where the action was ! There were a couple of clip boards lying on a desk nearby. Aneisha picked them up and handed one to Keri. "Camouflage," she hissed at the other girl.

The two agents walked purposefully through the facility, looking carefully at the equipment they passed. Keri took a series of photographs of any control panel she came across while also taking shots across the factory floor. "What do you think they're doing ?" she hissed at Aneisha.

"I don't know, maybe some sort of recycling plant ?" she suggested.

"KORPS ? Recycling ?" asked Keri in disbelief.

"Yeah, I know ! It's crazy !" agreed Aneisha.

As they walked around a tall group of machines, they found themselves coming up behind a group of workers, also dressed like themselves in protective clothing. One of the workers glanced around at the two young women, but then returned to work. Keri craned to see what the workers were doing and one glanced around in annoyance. Hastily Keri ticked a random area on her clipboard papers and smiled at the person in front of her. "Good work," Keri said encouragingly. Aneisha rolled her eyes at Keri and nodded at her to walk away.

As they stepped away as casually as they could, they were met by two more people dressed in protective overalls, also carrying clip-boards. They stared at one another in consternation until Keri's eyes met a familiar pair of blue eyes in front of her and she winked. The startled eyes smiled back at her. "Hi !" said Keri, weakly waving her hand at Dan and Laura. Aneisha then caught on and relaxed, as did Laura and Dan.

"Hey ! Where are your radiation badges ?" demanded an angry voice. They all turned to face a woman pointing to a small green badge pinned to her chest. "You shouldn't be in here without them. And what is this, some kind of supervisor convention or something ?" she demanded. "What are you all doing in here ?" Suspiciously she stared into Keri's eyes. "Makeup's a bit heavy don't you think ?" she asked snappily, noticing Keri's thick black eye-lashes and not realising they were a hidden camera.

They all turned around as more people suddenly appeared, their footsteps disguised by the noise of the room's machinery. "Oh ! Hi !" said Artie, followed by Tom and Mike. They were all dressed in their regular electrical testing disguises.

"What in heaven's name do you think you are doing in here ?" yelled the now furious KORPS employee. "This is a restricted area ! The doors are clearly marked, and how did you get access in any case ? I'm calling security !" she shouted. Her shouts attracted the attention of the other workers who stopped what they were doing to find out what all the fuss was about. One of them reached out and pressed a large red button. Klaxons started to blare out and red lights flashed.

"Time to go !" shouted Dan.

"This way !" shouted Tom, leading the way at a run back the way they had come. "I can get us out of here !" he yelled.

They stampeded after Tom as a group. "Have you worked out what's going on in here ?" Laura yelled to the others.

"No !" Aneisha shouted back over her shoulder.

They made it through the door that Tom's group had used to get in and he and Artie shorted out its locks to escape. Their luck started to run out as they headed out through the maze of corridors. Groups of KORPS guards attacked them and they all had to fight them off. Luckily they outnumbered each attacking group and were only slowed down a little each time as they picked off the opposition. "Nice work !" Dan panted as Laura high-kicked another KORPS agent into unconsciousness.

"Thanks !" she panted. This was going pretty well so far. Oops !

They all heard a thundering of heavy footsteps approaching from round a corner. "This way !" Aneisha hissed, pointing down a side corridor. "This is how we got in." They all followed her at speed. Tom felt pleased with himself for his improved fitness. He wasn't yet totally out of breath. He was disappointed to see that Artie was showing no signs of tiredness and was in fact out-sprinting him. Huffing, he guessed he could still lose a little weight.

The group made it out of the side door and ran for the perimeter wall. They assisted each other over the wall and looked around hurriedly. An engine was roaring closer to the end of the road. "We've got to get out of here !" shouted Mike. The all ran off down the empty road.

"But the van's the other way !" shouted Tom. Too late they realised that they were all running away from their transport and means of escape.

"I've got my car !" shouted Artie, darting into a side street. The others followed.

Only Laura spoke, "Wait, Artie !" she protested, but the others ignored her. It was only when they reached Artie's tiny car that they realised they were in trouble. "We're not all going to fit in Artie !" complained Laura.

The roaring engine and shouting was approaching the end of the road. "You'll have to !" yelled Artie in a panic, jumping into the driver's seat. The rest of the group jumped into the tiny car, squashing themselves in a best they could. The last to squeeze in, Dan lobbed a smoke grenade down the road, in time to see a motorbike carrying a pillion passenger with a large tubular device balanced on one shoulder. He didn't have time to work out what they were carrying before he hurled himself onto Laura's knees in the front seat.

"Go Artie !" shouted Dan, pulling the door shut behind him. He almost burst out laughing at the scene of arms, legs and bodies folded in around him. The car roared into life and sluggishly lurched into movement. Slowly, slowly the car moved off down the road. After three or four seconds, they had barely reached a jogging pace. "Go Artie !" Dan urged.

"I'm going man, I'm going !" yelped Artie. "It's kind of overloaded a bit man !" he admitted, desperately slamming his foot down on the accelerator pedal.

"Seriously mate ! I can run faster than this !" wailed Dan. He turned to find his lips only a couple of centimetres from Laura's nose. They both blushed in embarrassment. A shot rang out, shattering the rear window. Keri screamed.

"This is no good. We've got to get out !" shouted Dan. He pushed open his door and like a clown car, bodies spilled out into the road. Another shot rang out. "Split up ! Get out of here !" Dan shouted in desperation. Laura, Mike, Aneisha and Keri set off down a neighbouring alley. Dan grabbed Tom and pointed to the opposite alley.

"Hey, it's moving now !" yelled Artie happily, as the car came back to life, empty of passengers.

Dan glanced to the end of the road and his face froze in fright. "Get out Artie !" he yelled.

"I don't need to man ! I'll see you back at the base !" shouted Artie happily.

Tom looked at where Dan was staring and also looked scared. "Artie, get out now !" he yelled, yanking open the driver's door and grabbing Artie's arm.

"Hey man ! What's the big deal ?" shouted Artie angrily. He yelped as Dan ran round the car and with Tom's help dragged him bodily out of the car, which immediately stalled and swung into the pavement. "What is the … oh Woah !" he shouted in realisation. A man stood at the end of the street with a long tube balanced on his shoulder. It was pointing at Artie's car.

"Run !" screamed Dan. The three young men ran for their lives. A streak of flame shot out from the rocket launcher at the end of the road and a shooting piece of metal roared into Artie's little car which exploded in a giant ball of flames.

"My car ! Oh God ! My car !" screamed Artie.

"Just bloody run !" yelled Dan, "Or it'll be us next !"

The three agents were running down a back alley, surrounded on either side by the high walls and gates of the properties on either side. Dan heard the sound of the approaching motorbike over the roaring flames of Artie's burning car. He glanced around. "We're sitting ducks in this alley !" he yelled. "We need to get over one of the walls !" To his amazement, Artie leapt at the high brick wall next to him and somersaulted over the top effortlessly. Tom looked put out, but also attempted to jump to the wall, ending up dangling in mid-air, hands gripping the brickwork. Dan leapt up and hauled Tom after him, half dragging him over the top. They found themselves in a small back yard behind a tall brick building. Artie tried a door but it was locked.

"We'll have to go that way," he said, pointing to the side wall separating the neighbouring properties.

"Oh God !" panted Tom, staring up at the high brick wall in front of him.

"No worries man !" said Artie, grinning at him. He leapt on to a wooden storage bunker and then lightly leapt over the brick wall.

"Oh God !" Tom whimpered to himself, before also clambering up on to the bunker and making a much more ungainly leap to the other side. He staggered to one side on landing, but a hand grabbed his arm and kept him upright. He glanced up into Dan's concerned face.

Artie was already jumping to the top of the next wall. He glanced back over his shoulder and looked scared. "Oh shhhhhh …" he screamed, dropping hurriedly to the ground on the other side. "Get beside the gate guys ! Like quick !" he yelled from the other side of the wall. Dan and Tom looked at one another and then dived towards the gate in the back wall. They were just in time as a loud explosion erupted and the bricks of the wall where they had been standing exploded into a shower of red rubble and dust. Coughing they waved the cloud of dust out of their eyes.

"Artie ? Are you Okay ?" Tom shouted.

There was a huge hole in the wall beside them, but also in the wall opposite. A grinning face appeared in the gap. "Hey guys, I think they did us a favour man !" said Artie, pointing over his shoulder. Tom and Dan ran to the gap and looked where Artie was pointing. A corridor of gaps had been punched through all the walls of the backyards in the street. "Let's do it man !" said Artie, before running off and diving through the gap in the next wall.

"Like the man says !" said Dan with a quick grin at Tom, and they both ran after Artie at top speed.

Tom was panting by the time they reached the end of the road. They all clambered over the rubble of the much smaller hole in the last wall to be greeted by a black MI9 van. The door slid open and Aneisha waved to them. "Get in quick !" she shouted. Gratefully, the three agents jumped in and the car shot away into the traffic.

The Professor turned around from his position in the front passenger seat. "So a well planned and executed exit then ?" he asked benignly.

There was a brief silence. "Not as such," admitted Tom.


	26. Chapter 26

**The MI High team have moved on to their adult training. Can they become a successful adult team ?**

Tom sighed. The whole mission had gone to pot, again ! He looked up and saw the Professor watching him in amusement.

"Cheer up," said the Professor. "Things could be worse."

Tom frowned. "How ?"

"I could be driving," said the Professor, before turning back to face the way they were going.

Tom remembered what Dan had said about the Prof's driving and couldn't stifle a small giggle. He looked across the van. Dan and Keri were sitting side by side, touching as closely as they could. That wasn't unusual. What was unusual were the matching expressions of bafflement on his two friends' faces. Dan caught his look. "Do you have any idea what we just saw ?" Dan asked.

"No," said Tom. "That made no sense whatsoever."

Eventually, everyone piled out of the van at MI9 Headquarters. They debriefed together in the large conference room. All of the training agents were there. Once their report was complete, there was a silence in the room. "Any ideas ?" asked the Head. A roomful of people shook their heads. The Head sighed. "We need to find out the purpose of this activity and close it down soon. KORPS are now aware of our interest, which will only accelerate their plans. Ideas ?" she demanded.

Mac broke the silence. "Abe and I have looked over the technical information gathered by Tom's team. They managed to intercept some communications while carrying out their fake PAT testing activity. Communications were being made to a location in East London. It's possible that this is another KORPS centre associated with the operation today," she said. "If we're quick we might be able to infiltrate this centre before they clear out."

"That's a possibility," agreed the Head thoughtfully. "KORPS have already cleared out the factory we infiltrated today. There's nothing else to be gained there. How quickly could you put a team together ?" she asked.

Mac looked around the room and smiled. "I think we already have one Ma'am," she said.

The Head looked surprised. "Are you fit for another operation straight after this one ?" she asked.

Dan, Aneisha and the others looked at one another. There were a few shrugs and nods.

"All right. Let's go then," said the Professor getting up. "Last one in the van's a sissy !" he said before darting out of the room. There was a moment's look of confusion on everyone's faces before they all leapt up and ran for the door. The Head rolled her eyes and sighed in exasperation. She had been pleased when the older agent reluctantly agreed to come out of retirement. She had assumed that he would lend the weight of his experience to the younger agents, encouraging a culture of caution, but she could swear that any influence had worked in the opposite direction. The Professor seemed to have entered his second childhood.

Soon after, a black MI9 van was working its way across the capital towards the expected KORPS base. Tom, Artie and Abe were working on laptops trying to pull out as much intelligence as they could. Clustered together in the back of the van meant that the others couldn't make out the muttered conversation taking place amongst the Geek Squad, as they had become know to the others.

"What I'm thinking," began Keri thoughtfully.

"Handbags, shoes, makeup, clothes ….." Tom interjected.

"Ahem ! No actually Tupper !" Keri scolded Tom who was smirking. "As I was saying, before I was so rudely interrupted, if they're the Geek Squad, what are we ?" she asked the other agents.

"I don't know. How about the Insertion Squad ?" suggested Aneisha. "Oooh, actually no," she backed down with an expression of disgust. "Eew !" she added.

"Hm, we could be the Hit Squad," suggested Dan.

"We don't actually always have to hit people," objected Aneisha.

"When have we never had to hit people ?" asked Dan.

"Well, I have had whole missions go by without actually hitting anyone," said Aneisha.

"I haven't," said Dan. "I always have to hit somebody."

"Maybe it's just you," suggested Keri.

"Well, have you ever got by without hitting anybody ?" demanded Dan, now getting annoyed.

"Yes actually," said Keri.

Dan looked nonplussed. "Oh," he said quietly. He frowned, looking worried.

"Maybe it's just because you get sent into the parts of the mission which need fighting," suggested Keri, trying to cheer him up. "You know, because you're good at it," she added.

Dan looked happier. "Yeah, that must be it," he agreed. He didn't look entirely convinced though.

Bertie was sitting in the corner listening to the conversation in amusement. "Agents are normally played to their strengths," she said calmly. "I'm sure that Tom would admit to Dan being a better combat agent and that Dan would consider Tom to be the better technical agent. This doesn't stop either of you being able to do some aspects of the other's job when necessary."

Tom looked sceptically at Dan. Dan grinned back at him. "I know all the technical capabilities of string," he said. Tom and Aneisha laughed.

Keri looked baffled. "What's this thing with string ?" she demanded. The twenty minutes was taken up with Aneisha telling the story about the crashed satellite and their mission to recover the Black Box when Dan used string to trip up a KORPS agent chasing Zoe.

Laura watched the group of agents intently and noticed a shade crossing Dan's face at the mention of Zoe. She was sure there was something in that, but now was probably not the best time to ask.

Tom and Abe snapped their laptops shut. "Right that's everything then," said Abe confidently.

"What have you got ?" asked Bertie.

"Nothing," said Abe, stuffing his laptop into his bag in disgust.

"Nothing ?" asked Bertie in astonishment.

"Zip," said Tom.

"Diddly squat," agreed Artie. "It's like, they don't use computers and stuff !" he complained.

"We didn't have computers when I started working for MI9," said the Professor nostalgically.

Tom and Artie looked horror-struck. "Couldn't you get any ?" squeaked Artie indignantly.

"They didn't exist !" said the Professor. "No mobile phones, no personal computers, no email, no internet," he added. "If you wanted to eavesdrop, you had to attach a bit of wire to someone's phone line," he explained. He sighed. "Those were the days !"

"You sound like Jemima Thursday," said Dan.

"Ah poor Jemima," said the Professor sadly. "She was an incredible agent in her time," he said.

"Yeah, I know," said Dan quietly. "We met her."

The Professor turned to look at Dan. "I heard. She was rather taken with you too," he said with a smile. Dan blushed. Keri looked sideways at Dan. This sounded like another story she hadn't been told.

Laura meanwhile was wondering just how many girls Dan had been involved with ! She hadn't considered him to be such a serial lover boy, even though she had to admit he was pretty dishy. She sighed. He was taken. She had to get over it. Still, a girl could dream couldn't she ?

"We're here !" said Mac from the driving seat. "Get ready."

"To do what ?" asked Tom.

"Use your imagination," drawled Mac.


	27. Chapter 27

**The MI High team have moved on to their adult training. Can they become a successful adult team ?**

Tom stared at Mac in confusion. "Okaaaay," he said slowly, thinking. "There must be something on this place," he muttered.

"Council tax and stuff ?" suggested Artie. Tom nodded and started tapping on his laptop. Artie craned over his shoulder, occasionally pointing and shaking his head. "Yeah !" said Artie triumphantly. "Pest Control. Nice one !" he said, high-fiving Tom.

"They've got a rat infestation," explained Tom to several blank faces. "They called the council, but they haven't been yet."

"Rats ?" said Dan, his voice at a higher pitch than usual. He hastily cleared his throat in embarrassment.

"We don't have to actually catch them man," explained Artie. "We just pretend we're looking."

"Aren't there rather a lot of us ?" asked Aneisha practically. "I mean, we're a small army. How many rats are there ?" she asked.

"Plenty !" said Tom with satisfaction.

Dan couldn't help lifting his feet slightly off the floor, toes curled inside his shoes. He hated rats.

"We'll split up," said Aneisha. "Some of us at the front, some at the back," she said. Mac started handing out overalls and they struggled to get them on in the confined space.

A minute or two later two small groups of agents stood in front of two entry doors. Keri pressed the buzzer button. "Yes ?" snapped a voice.

"Pest control," said Keri. "We've come about the rats."

There was a murmur of conversation. "Why are there two groups ?" demanded the voice.

"Half at the front, half at the back. Pincer movement !" said Aneisha. Keri had to stifle a giggle. It sounded so ridiculous. There was no way this was going to work.

"Very well. Enter !" ordered the voice, and the door opened silently.

A sharp-faced woman met them in a reception area. She eyed them up suspiciously. "Where's your equipment ?" she demanded.

Thinking quickly, Aneisha pulled a taser out of her pocket. "I think this should cover it," she said casually.

The woman looked surprised, but also relieved. "Just so long as you get rid of the things !" she said, shivering. "They're in the lower floors. Return here when you've finished," she ordered, before walking off down a corridor.

"Okay, we're in !" Dan whispered into his mic.

"Us too," Tom's voice whispered back. "It's pretty quiet back here."

"It's late," said Keri. "Come on. Let's go rat hunting !" she said gleefully.

They made their way to a stair well and worked their way down. They came eventually to a locked door. Keri placed her Spy Pod against the lock mechanism and a series of numbers spun across the screen. After a few seconds, six numbers were displayed on the screen. Keri tapped them into the keypad and the door clicked open. She grinned at the others before stepping through. An alarm sounded. "Oh," said Keri. Within seconds they were surrounded by armed guards. The group were roughly searched and their weapons confiscated before they were propelled through the door into a large open area filled with groups of KORPS agents.

The sharp-faced woman was standing at the front of the room, apparently giving a briefing. "So, our rat catchers are not what they seem !" she said, staring at them over the top of her spectacles. Dan, Keri and Aneisha were pushed to the front of the room. Their weapons were thrown on to a table nearby. Keri glanced across and was surprised to see that as well as their tasers and stun guns, there was also an automatic handgun. She glanced at Dan who shrugged. She hadn't realised he was carrying a gun. He hadn't said anything.

A man walked through a door at the back of the room. He looked curiously at the small group of MI9 agents. "Wait, these people were at the facility this afternoon !" he said. "They're MI9 !" he exclaimed.

"You don't say !" said the woman sarcastically. "I thought we'd been raided by girl guides !" She turned to the agents. "Where are the others ?" she demanded.

Dan shrugged. "No idea," he said truthfully. A KORPS guard punched him in the stomach, making him double over.

"Why are you here ?" demanded the woman.

Aneisha looked doubtfully at Dan, still gasping for breath. The guard was pulling back for another punch. "We were trying to find out what the plant was for," she said hastily. "It didn't make any sense."

"Ha ! That's what they all say !" said the older man, snorting with laughter.

The sharp-faced woman looked round at him with raised eyebrows. "Yes, they do. Why don't you explain ?" she invited him. "These agents won't be around to tell anyone," she said darkly.

"What ? Well, alright then. We're irradiating waste material so that it can be recycled into government stationery and then it's going to be distributed around all government agencies where it can poison the government !" said the man triumphantly.

Aneisha frowned. "What ?" she said. "That doesn't make sense !" she complained. "Why don't you just irradiate some stationery that you know is going to be delivered to the government ?" she asked.

"There's a new policy," said the man smugly. "It's got to be recycled !"

Aneisha couldn't help it. She laughed out loud. "That is absolutely idiotic !" she gasped. "What a total waste of time !"

The sharp-faced woman turned to the man. "We built an irradiation device, installed a clean room, radiation monitoring and a full recycling facility in the hope that some recycled stationery would be delivered to the government ?" she asked slowly.

"Yes. That's it, " said the man in a satisfied voice.

The sharp-faced woman pulled a gun from her pocket, turned and shot the man in the head.

Keri jumped and squeaked a stifled scream.

After a moment's silence, Aneisha spoke quietly. "I guess he hadn't told you then ?" she said.

"Obviously not," said the sharp-faced woman. "Perhaps it's as well you came tonight. We won't be wasting any more time !" she said calmly. The three agents stiffened as the woman turned her gun towards them. "And it seems we have another clean-up operation on our hands," she said.

Keri gasped. This was it. They were going to die. "Dan ?" she murmured tentatively.

"Love you too," he whispered. Keri felt a tear starting at the corner of her eye. Not like this !

Suddenly the lights went out and there was pandemonium. Keri dived for the floor and a shot rang out above her head. A hand grabbed hers on the ground. "Keri ?" whispered Aneisha's voice.

"Yeah," whispered Keri. There were more shots and shouting. Someone stumbled over Keri's legs, falling on the floor behind them. She kicked out, making contact with the body of someone who screamed. She and Aneisha scrambled away from the writhing body.

"Keri ? Aneisha ?" said Dan's voice.

"Here !" hissed Aneisha. A hand reached out and grabbed Keri's head, moving down and grabbing her left breast.

"Ooh, ah, sorry !" said Dan's voice, sounding embarrassed. The lights came on to reveal Dan's red face as he was still holding Keri's breast.

"Well, you ought to know what that is !" said Aneisha, rolling her eyes.

Dan went even redder and hastily handed the girls their weapons. "Move !" he snapped. They quickly scrambled out of the way as the KORPS agents rapidly blinked the bright light out of their eyes and focussed once again on their enemy agents. Dan pushed over the table where he had recovered their weapons and pulled the two girls behind with him. Bullets showered into the table top and they cowered behind it. Keri heard shouts and screams from across the room and risked a quick look around the edge. A scramble of bodies, flailing limbs and yells was making it's way through the room towards them.

Keri heard a snarl behind her and spun round to face a huge KORPS agent, holding a gun. Instantly her training came into play and she shot the man with her stun gun. The man looked puzzled and plucked the tiny dart out of his neck. He looked at the dart before tossing it on the floor. He showed no signs of drowsiness. Keri heard a tutting noise from beside her and a shot rang out. The KORPS agent fell to the floor with a neat round hole in his forehead. She looked in shock at Dan.

Dan's face was grave. He turned to Keri with a slightly questioning look. She nodded calmly back. "You had to," she said. "Thanks." Dan looked slightly relieved and gave her a sad smile. Keri took a deep breath. Yes, MI High was officially over.

The ensuing battle raged for probably no more than 15 minutes, before the training team also made their way into the building, shooting and capturing KORPS agents. An MI9 SWAT team then arrived to sweep up the stragglers.

Finally, there was silence apart from the voices of various agents giving instructions and medics dealing with the wounded.

The two trainee teams met at the front of the meeting room. "You guys okay ?" asked Tom, trying the shake the ringing noise out of his ears. "Are your ears ringing ?" he asked, wincing.

"Sorry, can't hear a thing," said Artie loudly. "My ears are ringing. Man that was loud !" he complained. "Jeez !" he said, stumbling over a bleeding body on the ground. "It's like, Armageddon or something !"

Laura and Mike looked slightly shocked by the carnage all around them. "Wow !" said Laura quietly. Mike held her hand. She smiled at him gratefully.

Tom nodded towards Dan's hand. "You brought the gun then ?" he said.

"Yeah," said Dan hoarsely. He felt a little sick, looking round at the dead, dying and injured. The sharp-faced woman was sprawled across the floor nearby, her body close to that of the KORPS leader she had killed. He could smell the sharp metallic scent of blood. He felt Keri's hand slip into his.

The Professor stepped through the bodies, making his way towards them. "Well, I think you should call it a night," he said calmly, surveying the ashen faces of his trainees. Just take your gear home. We'll sort it out in the morning. Bertie's organised transport for you," he said, nodding towards a waving figure at the far end of the room. "This could take a while to clear up," he said, glancing around.

Numbly they nodded and followed Bertie to a waiting van. Nobody spoke. What was there to say ?


End file.
